BOAO /China/, March 28. /TASS Correspondent Nikolai Selishev/. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will promote more equitable international cooperation. SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming told a TASS correspondent on Tuesday.
"The intention is to focus on key issues of direct relevance to human well-being, development and security," he said at the ongoing Boao Forum for Asia in Hainan. "The organization is guided by the common goals of achieving more equitable and effective international cooperation."
The Secretary-General pointed out that in the third decade of the SCO's development, it is especially important to increase the effectiveness of efforts aimed at maintaining regional stability under the conditions of increasing global transformations. Zhang Ming stressed that the organization will continue to play a constructive role on the international arena, "vigorously promoting the 'Shanghai spirit' and firmly supporting multilateral diplomacy."
"The SCO is a platform for multilateral cooperation. Guided by the 'Shanghai spirit,' the member states adhere to the principles of non-alignment, non-confrontationality and non-targeting against third countries," he said.
According to the head of the organization, the SCO does not share anti-globalization sentiments and insists on peaceful settlements of regional conflicts and interstate disputes by political means within the UN framework. He added that the member countries of the organization repeatedly stressed the need to promote a new type of international relations in declarations adopted at the Heads of State council meetings and in other documents.
Zhang Ming explained that the SCO will contribute to building international relations "based on mutual respect, honesty and justice, mutually beneficial cooperation, as well as promoting the concept of building a community of one destiny."
Potential for cooperation
Zhang Ming noted that the SCO has built up a good potential for expanding and deepening cooperation in the association's area of responsibility.
"The SCO has accumulated significant economic and investment potential, which contributes to the improvement of trade and economic cooperation in the organization's area of responsibility," he said.
According to the head of the SCO, regional organizations come to the forefront amid increasing turbulence in the international arena and multiple uncertainties at the current stage of world development. "In this regard, the role of the SCO as an effective multilateral mechanism in the development of economic ties between the states of the region will constantly increase," the Secretary-General stressed.
As Zhang Ming pointed out, the organization is working on various projects in finance, transport, energy and industry, agriculture and e-commerce on the basis of specialized mechanisms. "The legal framework for the consistent deepening of economic partnership in the SCO is being steadily shaped," he added.
The Secretary-General noted that the expansion and deepening of cooperation in these areas "is among the key priorities in the association's activities and meets the interests of sustainable socio-economic development on its territory. "In the context of providing financial support for project activities, as well as in order to unlock the full investment potential of the organization, the possibility of creating the SCO Development Bank and the SCO Development Fund (Special Account) is being considered," concluded Zhang Ming.