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Summit Meeting Launches Shanghai Cooperation Organization
A summit meeting of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was held Friday in Shanghai.
Attending the summit were Chinese President Jiang Zemin, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev, Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov and Uzbek President Islam Karimov.
In separate speeches, the heads of states reviewed and spoke highly of the substantial achievements attained by the "Shanghai Five" nations over the past five years. They also reached wide consensus on future cooperation within the framework of the SCO and the joint crackdown on the "three evil forces" of terrorism, extremism and separatism.
Declaring the opening of the summit at 9:15 am, president Jiang Zemin said the establishment of the SCO marks "a historic step" for further cooperation between the six nations and will lay a more solid ground for good-neighborly and friendly relationship among them.
Jiang said sharing vast areas in the region, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, as bordering countries, have found that good-neighborly relationship of trust and friendly cooperation between the states would not only increase happiness and benefits of the five but also safeguard regional and world peace and stability.
The development of the "Shanghai Five" has been regarded as an important practice in international relations, which initiated a new type of security conception featuring mutual trust, disarmament and cooperative security. The "Shanghai Five" mechanism also enriched the brand-new state-to-state relationship jointly initiated by China and Russia with the core of non- alignment, and created a new regional cooperative mode featuring joint proposition, priority of security, mutual benefit and friendly cooperation, Jiang said.
Jiang pointed out that the declaration of SCO fully shows that all its members will strictly abide by the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, strengthen mutual trust and good- neighborly relationship, increase effective cooperation of the member states in political, trade and economic, scientific and technological, cultural and educational fields, ensure peace, security and stability in the region, and push forward the process of establishing a democratic, just and rational international political and economic order.
The president stressed that under all circumstances, the SCO will unswervingly abide by the principles and tenets and always hold high the banner of peace and cooperation.
The SCO is willing to work together with other international or regional organizations in the world to promote regional peace, stability and prosperity, push forward a democratic, just and rational international political and economic order, as well as safeguard the global peace, Jiang said
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the establishment of the SCO provides new possibilities of future cooperation among the member states. He stressed the need for all sides to cooperate in the crackdown on the "three evil forces".
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev suggested that the SCO should not only pay attention to political and economic security, but also to ecological and humanistic security. He also made suggestions on rebuilding the Silk Road and developing economic and trade ties among the member countries.
Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev expressed the hope that SCO member countries will work together to alleviate the Afghan situation which has become a serious threat to countries in the region.
Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov hailed the success of the " Shanghai Five" in promoting trust and cooperation among countries of different cultural backgrounds and called for closer cooperation in politics, economy, science and technology, energy and other fields within the framework of the SCO.
Uzbek President Islam Karimov noted that the establishment of the SCO will have a major bearing on the world politics. He expressed the belief that the SCO will help promote peace and stability in the region as well as an open and constructive partnership among its member countries.
After the summit meetings, the heads of states signed on the inaugural declaration of the SCO and a pact on crackdown on terrorism, separatism and extremism.
The heads of states also met with the press and attended a banquet hosted by President Jiang Zemin.
Chinese Vice-Premier Qian Qichen, Defense Minister Chi Haotian, Secretary of Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Huang Ju, Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan and the foreign and defense ministers of the Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan took part in the meeting.
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