The six member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
(SCO) yesterday pledged long-term friendship and cooperation while
reiterating the commitment to a nuclear-weapon-free Central Asia at
their seventh summit in the Kyrgyz capital.
"All leaders agreed to strengthen regional economic cooperation
and implement multilateral projects, especially in energy,
transport and telecommunications," President Hu Jintao told a joint press conference
attended by the leaders of the SCO member countries.
They met the media after signing the Treaty on Long-term
Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation, the Bishkek Declaration
and an action plan for ensuring international information
security.
According to the declaration, the leaders agreed that the treaty
on a nuclear-weapon-free zone in Central Asia, which was signed in
September last year, is of great importance to maintain nuclear
non-proliferation and promote the peaceful use of nuclear
energy.
They also expressed concern about drug trafficking from
Afghanistan to the rest of Central Asia, and called for the
establishment of an anti-drug buffer zone around the country and
closer cooperation within the SCO framework. Afghanistan is an
observer at the SCO.
Hu said that the treaty on long-term good-neighborliness,
friendship and cooperation will raise mutual trust and cooperation
among the member states to a higher level and inject new impetus
into SCO development.
"China has previously signed similar bilateral treaties with the
other five SCO member states, but the multilateral one will further
strengthen understanding and trust between China and the other
states," Chen Yurong, an expert at the China Institute of
International Studies, told China Daily.
"The multilateral treaty will have a more binding force and lay
a legal foundation for good-neighborly ties among the member
states," Chen said.
At the one-day summit, the leaders also discussed SCO
achievements since the last summit in Shanghai and drafted a
blueprint for future collaboration on security, economy and foreign
affairs.
Trade volume between China and Russia hit a record US$33.4
billion last year while the figure with the other four SCO member
states -- Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan --
crossed US$10 billion.
Later yesterday, Hu and the other SCO leaders arrived in
Chelyabinsk of Russia, where they will observe the ongoing joint
military exercise aimed at enhancing coordination in the fight
against terrorism, separatism and extremism.
Established in 2001 in Shanghai, the SCO initially focused on
fighting the three "evil forces" and other threats in the region,
but has since expanded into a comprehensive organization which also
includes cooperation in culture, trade and disaster relief.
"The focus of energy cooperation is how to maximize the
interests of all the parties," Chen said. "The market and political
trust are there."
China is undertaking more than 130 large-scale joint projects
within the framework of the SCO, which will create a favorable
environment for expanding business collaboration among member
states, Chen said.
The leaders of the six member states have reiterated that the
SCO does not target any country or organization and is part of
international efforts to fight terrorism.
(China Daily August 17, 2007)
