TASHKENT, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has been playing an important role in promoting regional economic development and cultural exchanges, an Uzbek expert said Monday.

The SCO, which was formed to search for new forms of cooperation, has been paying more attention to regional cooperation and integration processes, Tursunali Kuziev, a professor at the Uzbekistan State University of World Languages, told Xinhua in an interview.

"It is the SCO that confirms its viability today and has become a very authoritative organization of active political and economic cooperation," noted Kuziev.

"By establishing appropriate cultural space, it undoubtedly contributed to a closer rapprochement of people in the member countries of this organization," he added.

Noting that the decision made at the SCO summit hosted via video link by Russia in November raised the most critical problems facing humanity today, Kuziev described the Moscow Declaration adopted by the SCO as "a road map for the implementation of the ideological goals of the United Nations, and its various declarations."

The expert emphasized that the SCO is an "effective global and strategic international community" not only for the SCO member states, but also for the whole world, which "deserves justified respect in all other parts of the globe."

Noting that the countries of Central Asia, China and Russia have ancient customs and traditions with a rich history, Kuziev expressed confidence that in this context, the cultural and humanitarian cooperation among the SCO member states charts the course for the development of dialogue of civilizations.