Chinese President Xi Jinping (3rd L, front) and other leaders and representatives of international and regional organizations pose for a group photo before a large-range meeting of the 17th meeting of Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Astana, Kazakhstan, June 9, 2017. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)
MOSCOW, June 8 (Xinhua) -- The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), with its increasing global popularity, will further promote its status on the international arena through close contacts and cooperation, said Bakhtiyor Khakimov, Russian presidential envoy for the SCO's affairs.
In an interview with Xinhua on the eve of the SCO summit in Qingdao, the coastal city of China's Shandong Province, Khakimov reiterated the Shanghai Spirit and hailed the organization's accomplishments.
The Shanghai Spirit features mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for cultural diversity and the pursuit of common development.
"The SCO is based on the Shanghai Spirit. This implies mutual trust, mutual consultations and understanding, joint work and development of a dialogue between cultures and civilizations ... On this basis, we managed to bring the organization to a high level of development," he said.
With an increasing number of states showing interest in the organization, Khakimov said the SCO has become "well-known and recognized throughout the world today."
"I am confident that through interaction, cooperation and close contacts we will be able to gradually increase the role of the SCO, as well as to make the voice of the SCO sound louder and more authoritative," he said.
The 18th SCO summit will be held in Qingdao on June 9-10. Leaders of SCO member states and observer states, as well as heads of international organizations, will attend the annual event.
Khakimov spoke highly of China's successful work during its presidency in the SCO, saying about 140 events were held under the Chinese presidency.
"We always highly appreciate the role of China in the SCO ... Therefore, we closely cooperate with Chinese friends, on practically all the key issues on the SCO's agenda," he said.
Khakimov underlined that the SCO has made it possible to establish mechanisms for cooperation in all areas.
He said that the SCO's main activity is security, adding a convention on countering extremism signed last year will become effective soon.
Among the political results, the SCO member states are united in their constant appeal for strengthening the multipolar world and improving the world order on the basis of mutual respect, equality, fairness and cooperation, he said.
Meanwhile, it is "one of the key tasks" within the SCO framework to enhance economic cooperation, Khakimov said.
"We discuss step by step issues related to the creation of favorable conditions for the free movement of goods, services and capital. This is what is called trade liberalization, trade facilitation," he said.
Noting that there are attempts to undermine the efforts to form a better world order, Khakimov said it calls for combined actions to overcome the difficulties.
In order to really strengthen the SCO, we must not simply state it orally, but must continue to work to ensure that "the world knows the SCO, perceives it and is interested in interacting with our organization," Khakimov said.