"We welcome the establishment of official contacts between the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Association of South-East Asian Nations. We view it as an important step in the realization of the idea of the Tashkent Declaration, signed by the SCO heads of state in 2004, on creating in Asia a partner network of multilateral associations", reads the Alexander Yakovenko statement, circulated on Monday.
The ASEAN is the second, after the CIS, regional association to have established official contacts with the SCO, Alexander Yakovenko notes.
He explains that the document, concluded in Jakarta on April 21, "outlines the guidelines of practical interaction and cooperation between the standing organs of the two organizations".
"Priority in the development of contacts is given to such spheres as the struggle against transnational crime and international terrorism, the economy, finance, environmental protection, tourism", the official spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry notes.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization unites Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
