MOSCOW, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization discussed energy cooperation at their meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
Andrey Kokoshin, chairman of the State Duma Committee for affairs related to the Commonwealth of Independent States, said in an interview with ITAR-TASS that the presence of Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov at the SCO meeting, though his country is not a member of the grouping, was pivotal.
"Both large net exporters of hydrocarbons and large net importers are the SCO members," he said. "Russia, Iran and Kazakhstan are in the first group. And it is very important that Turkmenistan has joined this cooperation.
“Of course, India, China and Pakistan are in the second group," Kokoshin said. "This way the best scenario for cooperation between net importers and net exporters is being developed as part of SCO. The development of this scenario is playing the important role for providing the international energy security in general."
The SCO includes China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan are observers.
