Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and hundreds of journalists have assembled here for the organization's 10th annual summit on Friday.

It is the second time the summit has been held in the 2200-year-old Uzbek capital.

Boasting a history as an important commercial center along the ancient Silk Road, Tashkent is now the largest city in Central Asia, with a population of more than two million, tree-lined streets, numerous fountains and pleasant parks.

In downtown Tashkent, colorful flags, banners and posters with the summit logo line the main streets and around the hotels, expressing a warm welcome to summit participants from across the world.

Heads of state and representatives from SCO members and observers from other international organizations are expected to discuss issues concerning regional security, economic cooperation and an SCO admission mechanism.

In the summit's huge press center, which covers about 1900 square meters, some 400 work tables are set up for journalists. Two special workshops have been prepared for the many reporters from China and Russia.

Ildar Madrisov, a journalist from Uzbekistan's People's Forum daily, told Xinhua Thursday he saw the SCO as a key organization for fighting terrorism and drug smuggling in Central Asia and that he expected the summit to have a fruitful outcome.

"The rising influence of the SCO can be partly attributed to the active participation of the member states, especially China and Russia," he said.

Russian journalist Maria Semenova also expressed her confidence in the SCO summit, saying the 10 consecutive annual meetings had demonstrated the strong vitality of the organization.

Founded in 2001, the SCO consists of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Mongolia, India, Pakistan and Iran have observer status.