SCO’s authority grows due to Russia’s active role: Secretary-general

KUNMING, Dec 2, 2019, TASS. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s authority is constantly growing mainly thanks to Russia’s active role in its work and development, the alliance’s Secretary-General Vladimir Norov told TASS.

“Definitely, the SCO’s growing authority and role is mainly linked to Russia’s active role in solving vital issues related to international and regional politics, and security,” Norov stressed. “Today Russia plays a very important and key role in solving respective issues.”

In particular, Russia has made a great contribution to ensuring global stability, he pointed out. Norov also recalled the important role of the SCO regional anti-terror structure, which began its work in 2004. “It created a platform of trust and joint measures of security structures and law enforcement agencies on thwarting terrorist and extremist steps and timely detecting and holding accountable individuals who are plotting to carry out terror attacks,” he said. “I believe Russia has made a major contribution here by ensuring stability and security in the organization’s space.”

According to estimates by the World Economic Forum in Davos, by 2030 the GDP of the world’s top economies will reach nearly $190 trln. “India, China and Russia will account for nearly 60% out of this figure,” he said.

Norov recalled that Russia and China are the SCO’s founding states, while India joined the alliance later, but is actively taking part in its activity. “I believe these three countries are the driving forces, which will boost our organization’s development. Russia plays a major role, this year [second half of 2019-first half of 2020] it holds chairmanship in the SCO, and more than 90 events, both political, economic, cultural and humanitarian, are scheduled for this period,” he said.

The Declaration on establishing the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was signed in China’s Shanghai in June 2001 by six founding states – Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan were granted full SCO membership on June 9, 2017. Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia currently enjoy observer status, while Sri Lanka, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia and Nepal are dialogue partners.