ZHENGZHOU /China/, July 25. /TASS/. The Russian news agency TASS has invited media outlets from the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to join the new international fact-checking platform, the Global Fact-Checking Network, said TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov.

Today, media outlets and analytical centers operate amid a rapidly changing information environment, Kondrashov noted. "Cyber threats of increasing complexity, the spread of inaccurate information and disinformation, the rapid development of artificial intelligence technologies and their implementation pose new challenges for the modern world," he said at the opening of the SCO Media and Think Tank Forum in the city of Zhengzhou located in central China's province of Henan.

"Under these circumstances, our cooperation becomes essential not only for the effective performance of the current work, but also for ensuring a secure future," Kondrashov pointed out. "Fake news, provocations, distortion of facts, and intentional disinformation are weapons that erode trust between people and nations, wreak havoc, and undermine our stability."

Kondrashov called on all media outlets of the SCO member countries to join the Global Fact-Checking Network. "Believe me, this would be beneficial for our countries. Together, we will prove that we can successfully resist large-scale information attacks," he said, adding that TASS is open to cooperation with all media outlets of the SCO countries in this important field.

In turn, President of China’s Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua urged the media outlets to seek common ground for joint development and to thoroughly cover the SCO countries' achievements. "We must adhere to genuine multilateralism, resolutely oppose hegemony and the policy of force, and fully cover the SCO’s effective efforts in reforming and shaping the global governance system," he said.