DUSHANBE, April 11, Asia-Plus - Representatives from member nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization are arriving in the Tajik capital today evening to attend the fourth two-day meeting of the SCO council of culture ministers that will open in Dushanbe on April 24, according to the Ministry of Culture (MoC). 

Gulmahmad Davlatov, a spokesman for the MoC, said that Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan will be represented at the meeting in Dushanbe by their ministers Aleksandr Sokolov, Yarmuhammed Yerpisbayev and Sultan Rayev respectively, while China and Uzbekistan will be represented by deputy ministers. 

Deputy Culture Minister, Chzhan Weisun (phonetically spelled), is representing China and First Deputy Culture and Sports Minister, Bakhtiyor Sayfullyaev, is representing Uzbekistan.

The Dushanbe meeting will discuss cultural cooperation between the SCO states for 2007-2008. 

Participants at the meeting will also consider issues related to preparations for the SCO Art Festival, which is scheduled to be held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in June.

Artistes from ten countries (six member nations and four nations having status of observer at the SCO) are supposed to participate in the festival in Bishkek.  Each country will be represented by 40 artistes, the spokesman said.