At Bishkek SCO ministerial meet members agree to combat terrorism, unilateralism, affirm support for multi-polar world

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) held its regular meeting of ministers of foreign affairs in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on May 22, 2019. At the meeting of the SCO FMS discussed the issues of strengthening cooperation in priority areas, as well as topical international issues and situation in the SCO region.

The top diplomats of India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as SCO Secretary General Vladimirov Norov and Dzhumakhon Giyosov, director of the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), attended a ministerial meeting on Wednesday in Bishkek,

The main theme of the meeting was the discussions and review of the on-going preparation for the meeting of the SCO Heads of State Summit in June 2019 year in Bishkek. In addition, the Parties discussed the further development of mutually beneficial regional cooperation and considered the roadmap for the development of cooperation between the SCO Secretariat and observers and dialogue partners for the medium term.

The meeting participants noted the SCO’s positive development as a solid platform for strengthening mutual understanding, trust-based dialogue and equal partnership between the member states. The participants welcomed the desire to extend and deepen the member states’ interaction in preventing threats to stability and security and ensuring the sustainable development of the SCO region.

The Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Mr. Chingiz Azamatovich Aidarbekov briefed the Member States in detail on the work done during the presidency of the Organization. Important ministerial-level meetings were held on the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic, including the meeting of Secretaries of the Security Councils, the meeting of Defence Ministers, heads of anti-narcotic agencies, ministers of culture, and also the SCO Business Forum, Women’s Forum, Issyk-Kul marathon, etc. Focus has also been on strengthening cooperation between the SCO Member States in the field of economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation, as well as in the field of security. In particular, attention was devoted to the establishment of SCO financial mechanisms.

Indian minister of External Affairs Ms. Sushma Swaraj spoke of terrorism suffered by India and Sri Lanka. She referred to the February terror attack in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir state, saying India was determined to ‘consistently strengthen cooperation within the SCO framework for comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security. We would be open to ideas on how we can make the work of RATS more effective in this regard.’ She also stated that India remains committed to ‘any process wgich can help Afghanistan emerge as a united, peaceful, secure, stable, inclusive and economically vibrant nation, with guaranteed gender and human rights’ reiterating India’s support for the work of the SCO contact group on Afghanistan.

Xinhua reported that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang, who is also Chinese State Councilor, briefed his counterparts on the situation about the trade frictions at the SCO ministerial meeting.The setback in the trade negotiations was caused by the U.S. consistent refusal to resolve China’s reasonable concerns and its use of extreme pressure, Wang told his counterparts.

Noting that no unfair deals can be reached or recognized, Wang said that if the United States is ready for talks in an equal way, China’s door is wide open; but if Washington chooses to exert extreme pressure, China will fight to the very end.

The SCO members will jointly oppose any form of unilateralism and trade protectionism, according to a joint communique issued by the ministers following their talks.

In his speech, the Kazakh Foreign Minister Beibut Atamkulov voiced Kazakhstan’s positions on such major issues as combating international terrorism, illicit drug trafficking and regional conflicts settlement, including in Syria and the Middle East, the international initiatives of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan – Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev, including the need to establish a systemic economic dialogue between major regional structures, including the EAEU, EU, SCO and ASEAN.

The ministers agreed that the top priority of the international community is to establish a multi-polar world in accordance with common interests and based on the norms of international law as well as principles of respecting each other’s interests, multilateralism, equal and indivisible security and rejection to confrontation and conflict. They called for common aspirations of promoting the building of a new type of international relations, featuring mutual respect, equality, justice and win-win cooperation, and building a community with a shared future for mankind. They said it is necessary to improve global economic governance system and develop trade and investment cooperation. The World Trade Organization remains the important and only platform for global trade negotiations, they stressed. They oppose any form of unilateralism and trade protectionism, and agreed to conduct close coordination to establish an open world economy and consolidate the multilateral trade regime that is open, inclusive, transparent, non-discriminatory and based on rules.

The participants strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and advocated for the creation of a single global anti-terrorism platform with a central coordinating role of the UN. In this context, they stressed the importance of consistent implementation of the Code of Conduct provisions adopted at the Kazakh initiative in September 2018 to achieve a world free of terrorism.

The foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan reiterated their support for the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and welcomed the outcomes of the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held last month in Beijing. They acknowledged the efforts of relevant parties to cooperate under the BRI and align the BRI with the Eurasian Economic Union. Minister of External Affairs of India, in keeping with India’s stated position, did not endorse the BRI.

The foreign ministers supported tapping the potential of national and international institutions to build up broad, open, mutually beneficial and equal partnerships in the SCO area. They agreed to improve the legal basis for cooperation in trade, finance, science and technology and people-to-people exchanges. The diplomats urged the international community to pay due attention to global threats and challenges, including terrorism, separatism, extremism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, drug trafficking, organized crimes, cyber crimes, regional conflicts, uneven development, grain market fluctuations and climate change. They also underlined the significance of safeguarding and implementing the Iran nuclear deal and called on all sides to fulfill respective obligations.

The SCO was established in 2001 and aimed at strengthening mutual trust, friendship and good neighborly relations and encouraging effective cooperation in political, trade, economic, cultural, humanitarian and other areas. India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are members while Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia enjoy SCO Observer status. SCO Dialogue partners are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey and Sri Lanka.

Aditi Bhaduri

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