Tashkent, Uzbekistan, June 24
By Demir Azizov– Trend:
The member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) have confirmed common ground on a number of international issues, including the situation in Syria, Ukraine and Afghanistan, according to the Tashkent Declaration of the 15th Anniversary of the SCO, which was signed June 24 following the SCO summit in Tashkent.
“They confirm the need to preserve the unity, sovereignty, territorial integrity and stability in Syria, as well as the fact that there is no alternative to political settlement of the crisis, which will allow the Syrian people to independently determine their own future,” read the declaration.
The document also reaffirmed the importance of political settlement of the crisis in Ukraine based on scrupulous implementation of the Minsk agreements.
Leaders of the SCO supported the way of solving the conflict in Afghanistan through the promotion of an inclusive process of national reconciliation. The declaration stressed that these efforts to reconciliation should be made under the leadership of Afghans and the inhabitants of this country, and the UN should play a central coordinating role in the international cooperation.
The SCO countries reaffirmed their commitment to the maintenance of legal order at sea based on the principles of international law.
“All the relevant disputes should be resolved peacefully based on friendly negotiations and agreements between the parties concerned without their internationalization and outside interference,” the declaration read.
In this regard, the SCO member states have urged for full respect of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, as well as the guidelines for its implementation.
Leaders of the SCO also advocated for observance of provisions of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, and also welcomed the start of the practical implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue.
“The SCO member states reaffirm that the unilateral and unlimited build-up of missile defense systems by one state or a group of states without taking into account the interests of other countries can be harmful to international and regional security and stability,” the Tashkent Declaration noted.
The SCO was established in 2001. The SCO members are China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Afghanistan, Iran, Mongolia and Belarus are the SCO observer-countries, while Turkey, Azerbaijan, Sri Lanka, Armenia, Cambodia and Nepal are dialogue partners.