Speaking after a 14 May Moscow meeting of defense ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SOC), Defense Minister Ivanov said that the meeting had covered the situation in Afghanistan, security issues in Central Asia, and joint efforts to combat \"international terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism.\" Ivanov added that the meeting was intended to prepare for an SOC summit set for the beginning of June. The SOC, which includes Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and China, is also considering a Chinese proposal to expand both military-political and economic cooperation, Ivanov said. However, he failed to give an explanation for the absence of Uzbek Defense Minister Kadyr Gulyamov, who Ivanov said missed the meeting for \"objective reasons.\" Ivanov added that the documents from the meeting will be sent to Tashkent and that he hopes Uzbekistan will continue to participate in the SOC proceedings. (RFE/RL)