Leaders from the six-member Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Thursday gathered in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, for an annual summit.

At the summit, the leaders are expected to review achievements scored by the organization since the 2006 Shanghai summit, map out future cooperation on security, economy and foreign affairs, and sign a series of documents on economic and humanistic exchanges, according to officials of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The leaders are also expected to sign a long-term good-neighborly treaty of friendship and cooperation, they said.

"The treaty will confirm the SCO spirits of pursuing peace and friendship from generation to generation in the form of a legal document, which is of great significance to mutual trust and mutually beneficial cooperation in Central Asia," said Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Li Hui at a press briefing last Thursday.

Founded in Shanghai on June 15, 2001 as an inter-governmental organization, the SCO groups China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan with Mongolia, Pakistan, Iran and India holding observer status.

The SCO’s cooperation covers a wide range of fields including security, economy, transportation, culture, disaster relief and law enforcement, with security and economic cooperation as the top priorities.