On May 15, 2009, the foreign ministers' meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was held in Moscow. The foreign ministers spoke highly of the achievements the SCO has accomplished since the Dushanbe summit last August, and exchanged views on jointly tackling the international financial crisis, cracking down on the three evil forces and deepening pragmatic cooperation among members. They also made political preparations for a SCO summit next month in Yekaterinburg and discussed major international and regional issues.
Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Kazakh Foreign Minister Marat Tazhin, Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Kadyrbek Sarbaev, Tajik Foreign Minister Khamrokhon Zarifi, Uzbek Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov and SCO Secretary General Bolat Nurgaliyev attended the meeting.
In face of the complicated international and regional situations, the SCO maintains sound momentum with its constructive role in regional affairs enhanced and political trust and strategic cooperation among members strengthened, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said at the meeting. Against the backdrop of a worsening global financial crisis and dramatically changing international political and economic situations, SCO members should earnestly implement the Treaty on Long-term Good-neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation, Yang said. He said they should also consolidate mutual political trust, push pragmatic cooperation to a higher level, and play a bigger role in safeguarding member interests, ensuring regional security and stability and building a harmonious region. Yang put forward three proposals. First, the members should reinforce political consultation and boost their level of strategic cooperation. Second, they should deepen security cooperation and safeguard regional peace and stability. Third, they should broaden economic cooperation and work together to overcome the global financial crisis.
China supports the SCO's efforts to conduct foreign exchanges in the principle of peace, cooperation, openness and transparency, to deepen pragmatic cooperation with observers, and to accept new dialogue partners in accordance with relevant rules, Yang said.
China will actively participate in SCO affairs and make joint efforts with its members to advance the development of the organization and bring benefits to the people of the region, Yang said.
The foreign ministers said that the SCO has played an important role in pushing forward economic and social development of this region and safeguarding regional security and stability. The SCO members will continue to strengthen coordination and cooperation in security and international affairs and safeguard the overall interest of the SCO and national interest of its member countries more effectively. The foreign ministers vowed to comprehensively carry out and enhance economic cooperation and strive to mitigate the negative impact of the financial crisis on the member countries.
They also pledged that the SCO will keep closer cooperation with the UN and other international organizations, expand and deepen pragmatic cooperation with observers and pay more attention to the issues of energy security and global climate change.
Following the meeting, the participating foreign ministers signed resolutions concerning preparatory work for the mid-June summit and the development of the organization. They also jointly met the press.
On the same day, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met with the foreign ministers.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Yang Jiechi met respectively with Tajik Foreign Minister Khamrokhon Zarifi and Uzbek Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov, exchanging views with them on enhancing bilateral friendly cooperation and the development of SCO.