ASTANA, July 4. /TASS/. The countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) have confirmed their readiness to deepen cooperation in the field of ensuring international information security, according to the Astana Declaration published on the Kremlin website.

"Member states reaffirmed their intention to further deepen cooperation in the field of international information security and called on the global community to seek consensus on the adoption of a comprehensive convention within the UN on countering the use of information and communication technologies for criminal purposes," the document reads.

It adds that the SCO's members consider it important to ensure equal rights for all countries to regulate the Internet as well as their sovereign right to manage it as they wish within their borders.

According to the declaration, the SCO emphasizes the key role of the UN in countering emerging threats and creating a safe information space based on the principles of respect for state sovereignty and non-interference in other countries' internal affairs.