Kazakhstan hails growing organization

The enlargement of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is expected to step up the process of regional integration, enabling SCO members to build much closer links and develop mutually beneficial partnerships, a senior Kazakh diplomat said.

India and Pakistan were accepted as full members at the SCO Summit in Astana last year, signaling that the organization has entered a new stage of development, said Shakhrat Nuryshev, Kazakh ambassador to China.

"Now more countries hope to join the SCO－a sign indicating that the organization works efficiently and has strong vigor," the ambassador said. He highly appreciated China's work since it took over the rotating presidency of the SCO last June, saying it has done an "extremely efficient job".

More than 160 activities including a series of important institutional meetings and multilateral events have been held over the period.

The summit in Qingdao is the first SCO Summit after its expansion last year. "I'm confident the SCO Qingdao Summit will inject more vitality into the future development of the organization," the ambassador said.

Hailing the SCO as an organization with "international prestige" in solving regional problems, Nuryshev said the organization－since its inception in 2001－h(huán)as played a key part in enhancing security, intensifying economic cooperation and promoting cultural and people-to-people exchanges in the region.

He highlighted the SCO's efforts in developing partnerships with other international organizations－the United Nations in particular－saying the SCO being accepted as an observer at the UN General Assembly and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's attendance at the SCO Astana Summit last year, have proved that the international influence of the SCO keeps rising.

"I strongly believe SCO member states will continue to develop practical cooperation in consolidating regional security, and work together to counter common challenges and threats," Nuryshev said.

SCO members should make concerted efforts to facilitate trade and investment under the framework of the SCO to promote sustainable economic growth and advance people-to-people exchanges, he added.