Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) started a Smaller Meeting in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg on Monday.

Present at the meeting were leaders of the six SCO member nations, including Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Later, Medvedev will host an informal dinner for the heads of state participating the Meeting of the SCO Heads of State Council.

On Tuesday, the leaders will hold a Smaller Meeting with the participation of the heads of state and government of the SCO observer nations, which is to be followed by an extended meeting.

The SCO, which was founded in Shanghai in 2001, groups China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Four nations, including Mongolia, India, Pakistan and Iran, have observer status at the SCO.

(Xinhua News Agency June 15, 2009)