The "SCO Family" contributes to regional stability and development | Astana | SCO
On July 4, the 24th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization held in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, officially accepted Belarus as a member state. Since then, Belarus has become the 10th member state of the SCO.
The picture shows the Nazarbayev Airport in Astana, Kazakhstan, which is decorated with "SCO elements". Photo by Li Yuanyuan/Guangming Photo
At the beginning of the day's meeting, Kazakh President Tokayev said in his speech that the SCO has become "one of the most authoritative international organizations" and that given the SCO's uniqueness and great potential, other countries' interest in joining the organization is "steadily growing."
Tokayev's words reveal the advantages of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization compared to other international organizations. This advantage comes from the SCO's core values and action guidelines - the "Shanghai Spirit" of "mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations, and pursuit of common development". It is under the guidance of the "Shanghai Spirit" that the SCO has continued to develop over the past 23 years since its establishment and has become the world's largest regional cooperation organization with the largest territory, the largest population, and huge development potential.
"In addition to the countries within the 'SCO family', there are more applications to join the SCO in my office." SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming told the media that the reason why so many countries want to join the "SCO family" is that the basic principles and purposes pursued by the SCO over the years have been increasingly recognized by the international community, and the SCO's 23 years of cooperation results have also been appreciated by more and more countries.
"The 'Shanghai Spirit' has become a public product and shared wealth of the international community." Zhang Ming said that the SCO was established after the end of the Cold War, and most of its member states are developing countries, which are the beneficiaries of the post-Cold War "peace dividend". The "Shanghai Spirit" and the principles and purposes pursued by the SCO are highly consistent with the member states' demands for peace and development, reflecting the strong desire of regional countries to promote the construction of a more just, reasonable and equal international order.
The world situation is full of turmoil and the century-long changes are accelerating, which has brought severe challenges to regional stability and the development of various countries. The theme of this summit - "Strengthening multilateral dialogue and seeking sustainable peace and development" is a precise response to the common concerns of regional countries. In the process of communicating with many local ordinary people, the reporter learned that they strongly support Kazakhstan to hold this summit. On the one hand, they believe that this will help enhance Kazakhstan's international influence, and on the other hand, it is out of the simple desire that "this region must be stable."
The results of the Astana Summit are gratifying. In addition to accepting Belarus as a member state, the leaders of the member states signed and issued the "Astana Declaration of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization", reflecting the important consensus of the member states to actively work together to meet challenges and cooperate for the benefit of the people in the region under the current complex international and regional situation. Two other important documents, "The Shanghai Cooperation Organization's Initiative on the Unity of All Countries to Promote World Justice, Harmony and Development" and "The Statement of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on the Principles of Good Neighborliness, Mutual Trust and Partnership", not only elaborated on the SCO's important propositions on the current international situation and international order, but also showed the world a clear signal of the unity and cooperation of the member states. In addition, the Astana Summit also held a groundbreaking "SCO" meeting.
Over the past 23 years, the SCO has expanded its coverage and expanded its cooperation content, but the external challenges that need to be addressed are also endless. Against this background, all member states have adhered to the "Shanghai Spirit", adhered to the principles and purposes of the organization, fully respected each other's development paths, shared security cooperation, mutually beneficial economic and trade exchanges, and shared cultural exchanges, thus promoting the growing international influence of the SCO. In the view of Norov, the former Secretary-General of the SCO, the "Shanghai Spirit" embodies the essential characteristics of the new type of international relations and guides all countries to work together to shape a more just, equal and reasonable international order.
According to the decision of the Astana Summit, China will take over the rotating presidency from 2024 to 2025. This is the first time that China has served as the presidency again in 7 years. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said recently that China attaches great importance to this and has fully launched preparatory work. China is willing to work with all parties to further deepen cooperation in the political, security, economic, trade and cultural fields under the guidance of the "Shanghai Spirit", promote the high-quality development of the SCO, promote the building of a closer SCO community with a shared future, bring more benefits to the people of the region, and contribute more to lasting peace and common prosperity in the world.
