SCO committed to combating terrorism, separatism, extremism

TINJIAN: The Shanghai Cooperation Council (SCO) member states on Monday reaffirmed their commitment to combating terrorism, separatism and extremism, as they issued Tianjin Declaration after the two-day Council of Heads of States summit.

In this connection, the SCO called for respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states, reports said as the Tianjin Declaration hasn’t been made public by the time this report was filed.

Read more: Xi sees SCO bearing ‘greater responsibilities’ for regional peace

On the other hand, the summitted noted the political developments in Afghanistan and called for an inclusive government with broad participation to ensure lasting peace and stability.

The statement about Afghanistan is very important given that the country has again become a hotbed of terrorists groups, including TTP, which threaten only Pakistan and China but also entire regional and global security.

Hence, the SCO condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including the Jaffer Express and Khuzdar attacks in Pakistan carried out by the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).

It called for preventing the cross-border movement of terrorists and opposed the use of terrorist, separatist, or extremist groups for mercenary purposes.

Read more: China for eradicating breeding ground for terrorism

MIDDLE EAST

When it comes to the Middle East, the SCO expressed deep concern over Israel’s war on Gaza, condemning actions causing civilian casualties.

That’s why the Tianjin Declaration called for a comprehensive, just settlement of the Palestinian issue to achieve lasting peace in the region.

At the same time, the SCO warned against reinterpretation of a United Nations resolution endorsing a 2015 Iran nuclear deal, after European powers triggered a mechanism to reimpose UN sanctions on Tehran.

Read more: European powers move to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran

The SCO member states reaffirmed the “binding nature” of the resolution, saying “any attempts to misinterpret or arbitrarily reinterpret this resolution will undermine the authority of the Security Council”.

UNILATERAL TRADE MEASURES

Meanwhile, the SCO Member states also expressed their opposition to trade measures that violate WTO rules and principles — an obvious reference to the tariff war launched by US President Donald Trump.

“The countries are concerned about measures that disrupt the stability of global supply chain, and call for dialogue and cooperation among all parties,” the statement said.

In this connection, the Tianjin Declaration also urged all parties to eliminate restrictive measures that violate the UN rules.

SCO DEVELOPMENT BANK

With achieving the sustainable development goal in mind, the member states also decided to establish an SCO Development Bank and merge the statuses of “observer” and “dialogue” partner.

Moreover, the member states would also strengthen cooperation in industry, efficient waste management and resource use in accordance with the principles of environmental protection, energy conservation and clean energy development.

Artificial intelligence is in the news nowadays no matter be it economic and political issues or technology and military. That’s why the SCO states would also collaborate in preventing security risks associated with artificial intelligence.

UN REFORMS

As the United Nations has been unable to resolve existing disputes and stop new conflicts from emerging, the SCO said the UN must be reformed to adapt “to modern political and economic realities”.

Read more: SCO summit: Guterres says China’s support for multilateralism vital

They welcomed the annual UN General Assembly resolution on combating the glorification of Nazism and expressed the desire to continue high-level dialogue with the UN, other international organisations, and interested states.

It’s a developing story. Details to follow.