TASHKENT, 24 June (BelTA-TASS) - The decisions adopted at the Tashkent Summit gave a new impetus to the development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), its further movement forward, SCO Secretary General Rashid Alimov said.
“The anniversary Tashkent SCO Summit clearly demonstrated that this organization will move, consistently and resolutely, towards the implementation of the SCO's development strategy until 2025,” Rashid Alimov said when speaking about the outcome of the SCO summit in Tashkent.
“In the span of 15 years the SCO has managed to become a cohesive, a highly respected international association”, Rashid Alimov noted. “Our organization has already achieved well-deserved recognition not only in Eurasia but also in the world. More than 380 various events were held during the year when Uzbekistan held Presidency in the SCO, and it really was an outstanding period of activity in all SCO avenues of cooperation,” he noted.
The Secretary General stressed that the Tashkent SCO Summit is of particular importance both for the states of the SCO family as it made a significant contribution to the stabilization of the situation in Eurasia and also for the world. “The leaders of the SCO member states reiterated that the international community can counter new threats and challenges only by joint efforts. It was this understanding that led to the inception of the SCO 15 years ago, and it remains the political guideline for our organization this day as well,” he noted.
“The SCO goals remain unchanged, clear and simple: peace, stability and development on the territory of its member states,” Rashid Alimov noted.
The Secretary General also reported that five applications have been submitted for dialogue partner status. According to him, the principles of equal partnership underlying the ‘Shanghai spirit' show that this model of relations is productive, promising and attractive for states in the region. “This applies both to the expansion of the basic membership of the SCO and the interaction of the Organization with observers and dialogue partners, whose number has so far increased to six,” Rashid Alimov noted.
