TASHKENT (Sputnik) — The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) states in the final declaration of the organization’s summit in Tashkent stressed that the political settlement of the Syrian crisis has no alternative.
"They confirm the need to preserve the unity, sovereignty, territorial integrity and stability in Syria, and there is no alternative political solution to the crisis, which will allow the Syrian people to determine their own future," the declaration reads.
"They also emphasize the need for early stabilization of the situation in the Middle East and North Africa through a political settlement of the crises in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter and universally recognized norms of international law," the SCO states said.
Syria has been mired in a civil war since 2011, with the Syrian army fighting numerous opposition factions and Islamic extremist groups.
