The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will hold a business forum Wednesday in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe, Tajik authorities said.

The forum, themed "Cooperation, Co-development and Co-prosperity," is aimed at promoting economic cooperation, expanding trade and boosting investment in the region, the State Committee for Investments and State Property Management said Monday.

It will give impetus to SCO investment cooperation and promote the free movement of goods and services and the development of cross-border trade and tourism, the committee said.

The SCO Business Forum, established in 2006, is a nongovernmental institution performing advisory functions and providing expert reviews on trade and investment cooperation and potential business engagement within the organization.

The main task of the forum is to organize wide-ranging consultations and elaborate on recommendations and suggestions to SCO leaders on economic cooperation.

This year's forum will focus on cooperation in the field of new technologies and energy, agriculture and food security, role of financial institutions, and tourism development.

Also on Monday, representatives from SCO members attended a meeting of the Council of National Coordinators to discuss the agenda for an upcoming SCO summit, which will be held here Thursday and Friday, the Tajik Foreign Ministry said.

The Council of National Coordinators coordinates the multilateral cooperation of SCO member nations within the framework of the organization's charter.

Founded in June 2001 as an intergovernmental organization, the SCO currently has six full members, namely China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Mongolia, Iran, Pakistan and India are observers, while Belarus, Sri Lanka and Turkey are dialogue partners. Endi

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