"The SCO countries reaffirmed their readiness to intensify cooperation in countering the conspiracies of terrorist, separatist, and other extremist forces, which are aimed at bringing instability in Central Asia," reads a statement the Council of SCI Foreign Ministers issued in Astana, Kazakhstan, today following a meeting.
The ministers highlighted the SCO's monitoring presidential and parliamentary elections in the member-countries, saying it was an important aspect of its activities. They agreed to draft a document that will regulate such efforts within the organization.
The SCO has become more involved in international affairs recently. Therefore, the ministers found it necessary to step up contacts with the United Nations, and intensify the implementation of the memorandums of cooperation with the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) that groups 12 republics of the former Soviet Union.
The ministers welcomed Pakistan, Iran, and India's intention to get observer status at the SCO.
They supported the pending UN reform that is designed to improve the organization's efficiency and prestige. They said the reform must be based on a broad consent, while the major differences should be settled through vote.
The SCO advocates a multi-polar, just, and rational world order that would be based on sovereignty, equality, countries' respect for each other's historical, cultural, and religious traditions, and the nations' right to self-determination, reads the statement.
