MINSK, 17 June (BelTA) – Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belarus to Uzbekistan Leonid Marinich took part in the international conference Shanghai Cooperation Organization: From Central Asia to Eurasia, BelTA has learned. The conference was timed to the 20th anniversary of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Charter, representatives of the Belarusian embassy in Tashkent told BelTA.
In his speech Leonid Marinich pointed out that in his congratulation to Shanghai Cooperation Organization Secretary General Zhang Ming Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko mentioned the importance of the 20th anniversary since the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Charter was passed and the 15th anniversary since the SCO Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation was signed. In his congratulation Aleksandr Lukashenko also stressed that countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization family successfully overcome hindrances on the way towards universal prosperity and progress thanks to adherence to the “Shanghai spirit”.
Leonid Marinich stated that amid the irresponsible and confrontational policy Western countries and their military political and economic bodies pursue nowadays, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization plays an important role in minimizing threats, ensuring security, and reinforcing cooperation in the region as a whole.
Leonid Marinich stressed that priorities of the Republic of Belarus within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization remain unchanged – constructive interaction with partners with a view to reinforcing regional security, advancement of economic interaction, deepening of humanitarian ties. Leonid Marinich also said that as a Shanghai Cooperation Organization observer Belarus is now intent on active participation in all the procedures and projects of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. He mentioned Belarus is ready to make a practical contribution for the benefit of all the countries and nations of the Shanghai family in the name of invigoration and prosperity of the organization.
National coordinators of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states, representatives of the Secretariat and the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, leading experts of analytical bodies of Central Asia countries, Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, representatives of diplomatic missions, which are accredited in Tashkent, representatives of ministries and government agencies of Uzbekistan also took part in the conference.
Participants of the conference openly and constructively exchanged opinions about matters concerning political, economic, and humanitarian interaction, fight against terrorism, and other areas of work within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The conference was organized by the International Institute for Central Asia in association with the Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Affairs.