- Please tell about the SCO forthcoming summit agenda. What in Your opinion will its significance consist in?
- The Heads of state are expected to discuss and take decisions on strategic issues of the Organization development. Primarily it concerns the cooperation in the field of security, harmonization of joint positions on actual problems of regional and world development. Certainly the subject of global financial and economic crisis will be touched upon; joint fundamental approaches will be worked out for overcoming its consequences in the context of the SCO member states efforts. I think that the summit’s significance will be in further enhancement of SCO's role as a positive factor for the international and regional policy and constructive mechanism of creating favorable external conditions to ensure political stability and sustainable economic growth in our six countries.
- How do the SCO member states strengthen cooperation against the background of the world financial crisis that has caused economic recession on a global basis? What efforts are made for recovery, regional economy development, what specific measures can You recite?
- Coordination of efforts within the framework of SCO is conducted both in the bilateral and multilateral format. The conference “SCO is the space of economic cooperation and counteraction to the global crisis” that was held on June 5 of this year under the aegis of the SCO Business Council and Interbank Association within the 13th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum was representative and effective. In Yekaterinburg the Heads of our states will discuss specific ways of joint efforts coordination within the framework of SCO in the light of the situation at hand in the world economy and finances. SCO’s conceptual approach lies in the fact that in order to prevent risks of financial crisis in the future it is necessary to reorganize the international financial order ensuring balance of all countries’ representation in decision-making.
- Since its founding SCO has played a great role in safeguarding of peace and security in the whole space. Please tell about new improvements in the field of maintaining stability and struggle against terrorism in the region of SCO, what concrete successes have the member states scored?
Within the framework of SCO long term programming documents have been adopted, as well as a package of specific measures is being implemented in struggle against terrorism, separatism and extremism, drug trafficking and transboundary organized crime. Their result is that the situation in the field of security has considerably improved; all that has become a reality as consequence of well-practised coordination of efforts between different agencies of our states. Special services and military contingents’ exercises are regularly conducted by antiterrorist scenarios. To reduce terrorism, separatism and extremism threats, a lot of attention is paid to issues of socio-economic development of our states. I would like to give prominence to the positive experience of joint moves of the SCO competent authorities during preparation and holding of the XXIX Olympic Games in Beijing. I can not disclose details but assure that thanks to well co-ordinated work of our special services we succeeded to prevent a number of terrorist onslaughts that could have had very dangerous consequences.
- What do You expect from the forthcoming summit? What is your prediction for concrete successes and arrangements to be achieved?
The summit will give an estimate of the present international and regional situation, define the main ways of the Organization internal development and its relationship with the observer states and international partner organizations. I am sure that the implementation of projects of cooperation in the economic and humanitarian fields will be accelerated, new large scale tasks will be defined for all the coordinating organs including the SCO Business Council and Interbank Association. The major document of the meeting of the Heads of state will be the Yekaterinburg Declaration. Traditionally this fundamental document contains the coordinated with all the six states assessments of actual problems of the international and regional situation and priorities of multi-field cooperation development within the Organization.
At the meeting of the Council of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs that was held on May 15, 2009 among the documents approved for submission to the Heads of state was the Provision of SCO’s political and diplomatic measures and response mechanisms to the situations imperiling the peace, security and stability in the region. Important documents on antiterrorist cooperation, information security are expected to be signed. It will be recalled that in 2008 the Provision of the SCO dialogue partner status was adopted. In the course of year there were several applications from a number of states and international organizations concerning this status gaining. At the summit in Yekaterinburg, as expected, the SCO partnership network will be increased by new countries.