Central Asian leaders to end impromptu summit

The presidents of five central Asian states -- Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan -- are expected to end their summit later today Tuesday with a joint statement on regional cooperation.

The meeting in the Turkmen capital, Ashkhabad, is the first regional summit since May.

It's reported to have focused on improving security and economic cooperation, including the possibility of Tajikistan and Turkmenistan joining the Central Asia Union (,established by the three other participating states in 1993).

Correspondents say the summit has been organized amid great secrecy; even senior diplomats from the countries concerned say they were only given a few hours' notice.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service