Ufa summit to further enhance SCO international status

MOSCOW - The 15th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit to be held on July 9-10 in the Russian city of Ufa is expected to ratify the SCO Development Strategy until 2025.

The comprehensive blueprint, which covers a variety of issues such as the possible breakthrough on the expansion of the bloc, would become a landmark document of the SCO.

The Ufa summit will improve the SCO's ability to maintain stability in the region, promote economic development and further enhance the international status of the regional organization.

Security cooperation for common safety

As an effective and constructive regional mechanism, the SCO has gained its reputation for successfully protecting regional stability.

Since its establishment in 2001, the bloc has signed many strategic agreements to fight against the "three evil forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism, as well as non-traditional security threats like cross-border crimes.

Based on the principles of equality, mutual respect and trust, the SCO has contributed greatly to regional stability, steadily gaining influence as an effective working mechanism of peacekeeping and a guarantor of stability in the Eurasian region, said President of Russia's Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sergey Katyrin.

Zhang Xinfeng, director of the Executive Committee of the SCO's Regional Anti-Terrorism Agency, told Xinhua ahead of the Ufa summit that the pragmatic cooperation against the "three evil forces" is deepened as various mechanisms have been established.

"Mechanisms have been built up for joint anti-terrorism drills, securing international activities, intelligence exchanges, and joint work against cyber terrorism," Zhang said.

Despite fruitful achievements, the SCO is still facing various security challenges and threats, such as the unstable situation in Afghanistan and growing activities of the Islamic State terrorist group in the region.

During a meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers held in Moscow in June, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on the SCO members to enhance their ability to maintain stability and to eradicate potential security threats in the region.

He urged the bloc to deal with hot regional issues via anti-extremism forums, establishing anti-terrorism dialogues and consultation mechanisms, strengthening anti-drug cooperation and reinforcing the training of personnel in relevant areas.