Kazakh president arrives in Shanghai as SCO summit draws near

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev arrived in Shanghai Tuesday evening for the upcoming summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) slated for Thursday.

"I wish the summit a good work," Nazarbayev said upon his arrival at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

Nazarbayev is the first foreign head of state who came for the SCO summit meeting in Shanghai, the birthplace of the regional organization.

The SCO, established in June 2001, also comprises China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Other foreign presidents of SCO member states are scheduled to arrive on Wednesday.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf also flew to Shanghai Tuesday evening. Pakistan, together with Mongolia, Iran, and India, are observer countries of the six-member regional organization.

Presidents of Mongolia and Iran and a representative of the Indian government -- petroleum and natural gas minister -- are scheduled to arrive in Shanghai on Wednesday.

The summit will review the developments of the organization over the past five years, analyze international and regional situations, study the organization's future development and outline cooperation plans, Chinese President Hu Jintao said at the end of May during a joint interview with media representatives from the six SCO member states.

Hu will preside over the summit and deliver a key-note speech on China's policies toward the SCO and its suggestions on the organization's development.

On the sidelines of the summit, Hu will meet with the presidents of SCO members, and participants in the summit from observer countries.

A conference marking the founding of SCO businessmen commission and a high-level industrial and commercial conference will also be held during the SCO summit.

The summit is expected to issue a fifth anniversary declaration, together with documents on the SCO secretariat and other issues of common concern.

In the run-up to the SCO summit, China's metropolitan city Shanghai has been making preparations to ensure a successful event.

The city's major streets are adorned with posters and flags in Chinese, Russian and English. Colorful flower terraces stand nearby the city's landmarks, gardens and other public areas.

Shanghai citizens will take a five-day holiday from Wednesday to Sunday, a move expected to ease the city's traffic pressure.

"Now our most important work is to check the details of preparation to avoid errors," said Sun Weimin, assistant director of Shanghai Foreign Affairs Office, who has been engaged in the summit preparation work since last year.

Source: Xinhua