Interview: SCO summit to deliver important messages on regional, global development, says expert

ISTANBUL, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is expected to deliver important messages on regional and global development, said a Turkish expert.

"I believe that at this meeting, we will hear messages about the future of the SCO and its effectiveness in maintaining regional and global balances," Akkan Suver, head of the Istanbul-based Marmara Group Strategic and Social Research Foundation, told Xinhua in an interview.

The expert highlighted China's growing role as a founding member of the organization in supporting inclusive global development.

"China's role in the development of the countries in the region is global. It has reached an international dimension," he said.

Over the past decade, the SCO, a comprehensive regional cooperation organization, has become an important platform for practical Belt and Road cooperation. Suver applauded the opportunities China has created through the Belt and Road Initiative.

Under the initiative, China's cooperation with countries in Eurasia, Europe, Latin America and Africa is manifested in "the projects and services it has put forward in terms of engaging in tangible and visible investments and cooperation," he said.

Suver also hailed China as a leading actor in building a closer community with a shared future.

"We see the People's Republic of China as a constructive actor, a global player, in the first quarter of the 21st century," he said.

"China, through its participation in multilateral organizations such as the United Nations and its economic and social partnerships with other countries, is now active in Africa and Latin America, as well as in Eurasia," he said.

In Suver's view, all these achievements have contributed to the development and progress of countries across the globe. "Therefore, China has a share and stake in building a closer community with a shared future," he said.