SCO pledges to deepen cooperation, safeguard multilateralism

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Tuesday pledged to strengthen cooperation on various issues and jointly uphold multilateralism and consolidate global and regional security and stability.

The 20th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO was hosted via video link by Russia.

In the Moscow Declaration adopted by the SCO, member states agree to firmly support the coordinating role played by the United Nations as a comprehensive multilateral organization in maintaining international peace and security, promoting global development, advancing and protecting human rights.

The SCO countries advocate the construction of a multi-polar world order on the basis of universally recognized norms of international law, multilateralism, equal and indivisible security, and opposition to conflicts and confrontations, so as to consolidate global and regional security and stability.

On security cooperation, the SCO countries agree to deepen anti-terrorism cooperation between the SCO and the United Nations, strengthen cooperation to jointly prevent the spread of the ideologies of terrorism, separatism and extremism.

The SCO countries also agree to deepen cooperation with relevant countries, international and regional organizations and institutions to jointly respond to the global and regional drug threat.

The SCO countries firmly support the maintenance and strengthening of existing principles and mechanisms that uphold global stability and arms control, and express concerns about unilateral actions that undermine these mechanisms.

On economic and trade cooperation, the SCO countries agree that it is crucial to continue improving global economic governance system, and pledge to continue upholding and strengthening the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core.

According to the declaration, the SCO countries pledge to promote an open world economy and oppose unilateral trade protectionism that undermines the multilateral trading system and threatens the world economy.

The SCO countries agree to continue strengthening cooperation in trade, production capacity, transportation, energy, finance, investment, agriculture, customs, telecommunications, information technology, innovation and other areas of common interests, so as to achieve an open, inclusive, innovative, green and sustainable development.

On cultural cooperation, the SCO countries advocate dialogue among civilizations, and agree to deepen cooperation in the fields of education, science and technology, culture and tourism.

The SCO countries also issued various statements on strengthening cooperation in the fields of anti-coronavirus efforts, digital economies, combating drugs, ensuring international cooperation in information security, and cracking down on the use of Internet and other channels to spread ideologies of terrorism, separatism and extremism.