ISTANBUL
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday called on members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to “consolidate unity” against interference by foreign forces in internal affairs.
“Human society has reached other crossroads. It is because of the world that the SCO stands in the correct aspect of history and in the aspect of equity and justice,” Xi said in his speech to the Council of Heads of State at the SCO summit. in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.
“A transformation that hasn’t been noticed in a century is taking place at a faster pace. . . In the face of genuinely demanding situations of external forces interfering in internal affairs and creating divisions, unity will have to be consolidated,” Xi said, according to Chinese Foreign. Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.
The Chinese president called for maintaining the “minimum of security” in the face of “real threats similar to the Cold War mentality”.
Xi said the right to progression “must be safeguarded. “
“It is very important to stay true to the founding project of the SCO, continue to fly the flag of the Shanghai Spirit and help each other succeed, maintain the right direction for the progress of the SCO and make the organization a reliable organization, the foundation of the not unusual prosperity and revitalization of its member states,” he said at the summit.
According to Xi, the SCO has expanded to 10 member states in the past 23 years.
“The great circle of relatives is now made up of 26 countries spread over three continents. And it has joined it through more and more partners and built a more powerful foundation of cooperation,” he added.
The two-day summit began Wednesday in Astana, where the SCO accepted Belarus as the 10th full member state.
Belarus was a member of the SCO in 2010 and an observer state in 2015.
The organization was founded in 2001 in Shanghai. Initially it was composed of six countries: Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. In 2017, India and Pakistan joined the bloc, and Iran in 2023.
There are two observer states, Afghanistan and Mongolia, and 14 discussion partners, in addition to Turkey.