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Iranian President Hassan Rohani (left) is welcomed at Bishkek's Manas Airport by Kyrgyz Prime Minister Jantoro Satybaldiev on September 12.
Iranian President Hassan Rohani (left) is welcomed at Bishkek's Manas Airport by Kyrgyz Prime Minister Jantoro Satybaldiev on September 12.

Liveblog: Eurasian Leaders Gather for SCO Summit in Bishkek

Border security following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and a response to the ongoing crisis in Syria are high on the agenda for the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Bishkek today. The SCO summit brings together Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping along with the leaders of Iran, Afghanistan, and most Central Asian states.


15:55 13.9.2013
Putin and Rohani scheduled to hold first bilateral meeting in 35 minutes.
15:39 13.9.2013
On Iran:
It is important to maintain the momentum of the negotiation process, devised in meetings of representatives of the "Group of Six" international mediators with Iran in Almaty in February and April 2013.
15:27 13.9.2013
From the Bishkek Declaration on Syria:

-"The settlement of international and regional conflicts must be carried out exclusively by peaceful political and diplomatic means, on the basis of equality, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states, non-interference in the internal affairs of states and the avoidance of the use of, or threat of force."

-"Member states support the speedy resolution of the crisis in Syria by the Syrians themselves, subject to the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic, the cessation of violence in the country and the launch of broad political dialogue between the authorities and the opposition, without preconditions."

-"They strongly condemn all acts of terrorism and violence against the civilian population, particularly on religious or ethnic grounds and oppose illegal actions aimed at further militarization of the internal conflict in Syria."

-"Member states support the initiative to transfer Syrian chemical weapons under international supervision and their subsequent destruction."
15:11 13.9.2013
15:07 13.9.2013
Final Summit documents have been signed - no apparent breakthroughs.

"SCO members are willing to intensify the Shanghai Convention on combating terrorism and the cooperation program for member states in the fight against terrorism, separation and extremism from 2013-2015."

They also agree on combating illicit drug trafficking and on the "modernization of national economies."

Bilateral meetings will take place in the coming hours.
14:50 13.9.2013
Putin: As of today Syria becomes a full participant of the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. I think we must welcome such decision by the Syrian leaders. I hope this will become a very important step towards the resolution of the Syrian crisis. It confirms our Syrian partners' serious intention to follow this path.

14:37 13.9.2013
Karzai says his country is on the front-line of the international fight against terrorism and organizations like Al-Qaeda and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan have chosen Afghanistan for their operations. He says he hopes the U.S. will continue supporting Kabul in its fight against terrorism.

Atambaev says he is concerned with developments in Afghanistan. He says the worsening security situation could negatively impact surrounding countries.
14:27 13.9.2013
Rohani: "Iran respects international agreements on nonproliferation, but just like any other member of the international community, it has a right to nuclear technologies, including the enrichment of uranium."

14:24 13.9.2013
The foreign ministers of India and Pakistan met on the sidelines of the Summit earlier today. This is the first meeting between the two since the recent spate of violence on the border in Kashmir. According to India's "Business Standard," an Indian official said both sides discussed "the imperative of maintaining ceasefire along [the border] by making the existing mechanisms more effective.
14:09 13.9.2013

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