Interview: Cooperation between SCO, UN of great significance, says SCO Secretary-General

Deepening cooperation between the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the United Nations is of great significance in countering global terrorism and tackling challenges and threats, SCO chief said on Tuesday.

"Fighting global terrorism is a work without an end," SCO Secretary-General Rashid Alimov told Xinhua in an exclusive interview at the UN headquarters after attending a high-level special event on "the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization: Jointly Countering Challenges and Threats" .

It is of great significance to deepen cooperative relations between the Regional Anti-terrorism Structure of the SCO and related anti-terrorism agencies within the UN system, he said, noting that "it is also the direction of our future work."

"We believe we can achieve success if we combine both of our strength and make joint efforts," he said.

Addressing the high-level event, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that "the United Nations looks forward to strengthening our ties in facing common challenges, advancing preventive diplomacy and building a region of peace, development and human rights for all."

The SCO, established in 2001, is a regional political, economic and security organization that groups China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as full members.

On Monday, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on cooperation between the UN and the SCO, noting that "the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has become an essential regional organization for addressing security in the region in all its dimensions."

Acknowledging the important role of the SCO in securing peace and sustainable development, advancing regional cooperation and strengthening good-neighbourliness and mutual trust, the resolution proposes more interaction and coordination between the UN and the SCO.

The SCO has made great achievement in securing regional peace and stability since its founding 15 years ago, said Alimov. "With joint agreements on fighting terrorism, our member states can work together in counting terrorism, separatism and extremism."

India and Pakistan signed the SCO's Memorandum of Obligations in June this year, kick-starting the process of their accession into the group.

"This process is leading to a new era of the organization," said Alimov, "it will help broaden cooperation in anti-terrorism, economic, human and cultural areas."

"A strong SCO will be an important factor in maintaining peace, stability, prosperity and harmonious development," he said.

Alimov, 63, has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan, Tajikistan' s Permanent Representatives to the UN as well as ambassador to China.

Alimov said that the SCO members states fully support China' s Road and Belt Initiative and have been working on ways to implement the initiative.

"We hope countries can find new economic growth through implementing this important initiative. We are also studying how to combine each country's national development strategy with it," he said. Enditem