Quality changes underway in configuration of relations in SCO - secretary general

ZHENGZHOU, December 15. /TASS/. Quality changes are underway in the configuration of relations between founding members and observers in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Organization’s Secretary General Dmitry Mezentsev told TASS on Tuesday after the session of the SCO Council of Heads of State. "The session of the SCO Council of Heads of State both in the narrow format and in the ‘6+6’ format with participation of heads of delegations from observer states, heads of authoritative international organizations, is the first meeting at this level since the most important meeting of the year was held during the Ufa summit, where historical decisions were made under the chairmanship of Russian President Vladimir Putin. First of all, they include the SCO Development Strategy until 2025 and important decisions on real expansion of the Organizaion, for the first time in 14 years since the year SCO was established," Mezentsev said. He noted that the procedure of accepting India and Pakistan to SCO has been launched, the role of Belarus was upgraded, and four new countries (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal) became dialogue partners. "The talks at today’s roundtable were concrete, professional, meaningful, wide-scale. They concerned quality changes in the configuration of relations of founding members and observers, first of all, in developing trade and economic cooperation, so that investment, financial, communications, humanitarian cooperation in the framework of SCO marked by absolute priority really worked for the benefit of national economies. At the same time, it should help form regional markets on the SCO territory that would contribute to increasing the welfare of people. It should also help national economies of the countries of the ‘Shanghai family’ not only to overcome the consequences of global financial crises which is still felt in all countries in the region without exception, but also to compensate for the complicated and not very ‘beneficial’ situation on markers of hydrocarbons, on financial markets that characterize the current situation," the SCO secretary general said. "Those documents that were signed were very important for SCO. They include the approved report of the SCO Secretariat on multi-party trade and economic cooperation and the order to continue work on establishing the SCO Development Bank and Development Fund, Special Account," he added. "The documents are very important especially considering that the Organization, I suppose, will have to outline the format of relations with recently established powerful financial institutions - Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank founded by all SCO member countries, in the light of implementing the initiative of the Chinese leader on the construction the Silk Road Economic Belt." Regional economic cooperation "We especially note today the statements of the heads of governments on regional economic cooperation," Mezentsev continued. "This decision will allow in the near future to establish a Club of Regions when relations between provinces, districts, republics, regions of SCO member countries and observer countries will form with consideration of interests, possibilities, potential and needs of the population," he said. "This should also help to boost principally different cooperation between national tourist administrations whose heads held a meeting this year. They made a decision to form a single program of tourism development in SCO," Mezentsev noted. SCO The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a permanent regional international association, the establishment of which was announced on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai. The organization brings together Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. During the SCO summit in Ufa on July 9 and July 10 the start of the admission procedure for India and Pakistan was announced. The leaders of the SCO member-countries also decided to grant Belarus observer status, while Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia and Nepal became dialogue partners. SCO priority spheres include joint fight against terrorism and extremism, cooperation in the spheres of education, energy, transport, and telecommunications. The total population of SCO countries is almost 1.6 billion people, and the total GDP of the member countries is $11.6 trillion. Read more