SCO Secretary-General calls on members to carry forward Shanghai Spirit, jointly open up bright future

Vladimir Norov, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), called on members of the organization to conduct extensive discussions, reach more consensuses, carry forward the Shanghai Spirit, work together to deal with risks and challenges, and jointly safeguard national security and development interests of countries in the Eurasian region.

Norov made the remarks during an interview with the People’s Daily ahead of the 20th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO held on Nov. 10 via video link.

In the face of the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, the SCO member states backed each other up to tide over difficulties together and actively promoted international cooperation against the coronavirus, said Norov, adding that these efforts have effectively protected the lives and health of people in the Eurasian region, injected positive energy into global anti-epidemic cooperation, and made important contributions to building a community of health for mankind.

The pandemic is still raging across the world, and only through solidarity and cooperation can mankind finally overcome the virus, said Norov, who suggested the member states of the SCO give full play to their respective advantages, deepen cooperation in medical care and epidemic prevention, and jointly build a community of health within the organization.

The SCO has pioneered a new model of regional cooperation, and made major contributions to regional peace and development, showing increasing appeal and influence, according to Norov.

He noted that guided by the Shanghai Spirit, the SCO has successfully created a new path to cooperation and development for regional organizations.

In particular, the joint construction of the Belt and Road is becoming an important cooperation platform in facilitating the development and prosperity of regional countries, Norov pointed out.

He believes that the organization boasts huge potential in such aspects as economic and trade cooperation, scientific and technological exchanges, and that the meeting held on Nov. 10 served as an important opportunity for parties involved to explore new areas for cooperation and bring regional cooperation to a new level.

In the first three quarters of this year, China’s economic growth shifted from negative to positive, which fully proved the strong resilience of the Chinese economy, Norov said, adding that China’s super-large-scale market and huge domestic demand will provide long-lasting and sustainable impetus for the stability and recovery of the global economy.

Norov expressed confidence in China’s development prospects. China is speeding up the construction of a new development pattern whereby domestic and foreign markets can boost each other, with the domestic market as the mainstay, which will facilitate the country’s high-quality development and generate more opportunities for the common development of all countries.

Norov has recently participated in the opening ceremony of the 3rd China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai. In today’s world, peace and development remain the underlying trend of the times, and people everywhere crave even more strongly for peace, development and win-win cooperation, he stressed.

In the face of profound changes in the international environment, countries in the world need to work together to promote the building of a new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation as well as a community with a shared future for mankind, Norov said.