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| Central Asia united on economic crisis response |
| Press Trust of India / Beijing Oct 14, 2009, 18:15 IST |
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Leaders from Russia, China and four Central Asian nations vowed today to work together to coordinate their responses to the global economic crisis.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, host Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, and leaders from four ex-Soviet countries, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, also agreed their top finance officials would meet by year's end.
The six had gathered for a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a regional security grouping dominated by Moscow and Beijing, and seen by some Western critics as a way to counter US influence in Central Asia.
Representatives from India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan also joined the talks at Beijing's Great Hall of the People, as the four countries have SCO observer status.
"This document will create good opportunities. It will allow us to secure coordination of anti-crisis measures," Putin said before the adoption of an agreement outlining the crisis response and a post-crisis strategy. "The crisis has become a catalyst for reform of the international financial system. Our organisation should take part in this."
Wen said the leaders had agreed to "vigorously develop exchanges and cooperation in the areas of trade, energy resources, agriculture, transport, communications, culture, health, environment, and product quality control, and to improve economic competitiveness and our capability to prevent risks".
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