BEIJING, April 24 (APP):Eight foreign ministers from member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
(SCO) met on Tuesday to discuss further deepening multilateral relations.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi presided over the meeting. Foreign Minister Khawaja
Muhammad Asif and foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan, India Secretary-General of the SCO and Director of the Executive Committee
of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure attended the meeting.
The meeting focused on international and regional issues that concern all parties and
preparations for the SCO Leaders’ Summit in June in east China’s Qingdao city.
The Foreign Ministers agreed to coordinate closely and to speak in a unified voice on
major international and regional issues, pledging to offer solutions for security and coordinated
efforts.
They re-affirmed that peaceful political process is the only way to solve the Syria issue
and that Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity must be ensured and
maintained.
They agreed the Astana process, the Syrian talks in Geneva and the intra-Syria talks
in Sochi have made significant contributions to promote a political settlement in Syria.
The ministers expressed their deep concern about the missile strike to Syria, carried
out by the three permanent members of the UN Security Council on April 14, 2018. They
believed the strike exacerbated the suffering of the Syrian people.
As the UN Security Council discussed this issue on April 13, 2018, the ministers called
all parties to demonstrate restraint and avoid any actions that could escalate the conflicts further
and to support UN’s core role to secure world peace and stability.
They also agreed that SCO member states would step up in connecting China’s Belt and
Road Initiative with each country’s development plan.
Speaking at the meeting, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the SCO has agreed on
14 resolutions, and most of them will be signed during the Qingdao Summit.
They include the declaration of the SCO member countries, a long-term treaty of friendship
among neighboring countries, an outline of plans for the next five years, and cooperation from
many other perspectives, Wang said.
Wang emphasized to further advocate the “Shanghai Spirit”, which will be a highlight of the
June’s SCO Qingdao summit.
He pointed the success of the SCO lies in its underlying principle of the “Shanghai Spirit”.
The SCO Qingdao summit is an opportunity to revitalize this and the summit will enhance
trust and solidarity between the member states, building a closer SCO community.
Wang said cooperation should be mutually beneficial. He called on countries to improve
the convenience of international transportation and to facilitate trade and inter-connectivity.
China took the chairmanship of the SCO last June. Before the Qingdao summit, it will
host a meeting of supreme court judges, tourism ministers, political parties and the media
representatives from SCO members.