SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming, in an interview with RIA Novosti, spoke about the results of work for 2022 and plans to further expand the organization, with whom the SCO competes in the region and how it fights the forces of the “three evils”, what kind of support in the economy and energy can states provide to each other – members, and also why they did not join the anti-Russian sanctions. Interview was performed by RIA Novosti correspondent in Beijing Anna Ratkoglo.

– The year 2022 as a whole was extremely difficult for the whole world, almost every SCO member state faced serious challenges in one way or another. How have international events affected the work of the organization and the mutual trust of the member states?

2022 has been a difficult and extremely challenging year, but it has also been a year of turning challenges into opportunities and achieving new developments. Throughout the year, the geopolitical situation in the world has undergone complex and profound changes, international politics, economics, security and order have faced numerous crises. It is somewhat pleasing that, faced with this situation, the SCO member states maintain a high level of mutual understanding, correctly assess the difficulties and move towards each other.

All parties agree that the more complex and harsh the outside world, the stronger the need to maintain cohesion and mutual assistance within the “big family” for the sake of jointly protecting the interests of the stable development of the region.

At the September 2022 meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO Member States in Samarkand, the countries reaffirmed that joint assistance in building the Community of a Common Destiny for Humanity and a new type of international relations based on mutual respect, justice, impartiality and mutually beneficial cooperation is important and relevant meaning.

The invariable goal of the member states since the formation of the organization has been to strengthen and deepen long-term relations of good neighborliness, friendship and cooperation. The development achievements of the region over the past year 2021 demonstrate that the values jointly promoted by Member States, such as mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for different civilizations and the pursuit of common development, have stood the test of time and major international changes, becoming a source of vitality. and an inexhaustible driving force for the development of the organization.

– The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is called a new center of power in a changing world, in your opinion, can the SCO gradually become a regional association that will have more influence and supporters in Asia than the United States and the alliances they lead? Does the SCO have such a goal?

I remember the line from the poem: “I did not call to fight for freedom, I did not know worthy of this honor” (“I strove with none, for none was worth my strife”, by Walter Savage Landor). If we talk about “comparison” and “competition”, then the SCO “compares” and “competes” only with itself. We must strive to ensure that the region is safer than before, that our peoples live better, and that our cooperation becomes deeper, wider and stronger. I want to say again that the SCO is open for cooperation with all countries and regional organizations.

Last November, I took part in the ASEAN summit series. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization and ASEAN are neighbors with each other, have the same or similar cultural traditions and values. The two organizations have common interests and great opportunities for cooperation in the field of security, combating new threats and challenges, responding to climate change, as well as in the field of investment, trade, science and technology, and the use of natural resources.

At present, there are those who are engaged in bloc confrontation and severing ties in the Asia-Pacific region, against this background, strengthening cooperation between the SCO and ASEAN is even more timely and necessary.

At the same time, regardless of international changes and the expansion of the “circle of friends” of the SCO, we always remember that we are a cooperation organization and firmly adhere to the principle of non-alignment with blocs and do not target third parties.

– After the start of the conflict in Ukraine, the SCO members did not join the anti-Russian sanctions, which caused dissatisfaction with Western partners; especially a lot of criticism was directed at China. What is the reason for such an independent position of the SCO countries?

The SCO member states unite on the basis of common values and share the same or similar positions on many important international and regional issues. After the outbreak of the Ukrainian conflict, the SCO paid close attention to it and supported the countries concerned so that, focusing on the overall situation in the region, they continued to work to eliminate differences, move towards each other in the direction of finding common interests, achieve peace and resolve the conflict through peaceful, political and diplomatic means.

We noted that many SCO member states are ready to create favorable conditions for strengthening contacts between the respective countries, proper settlement and solution of the problem, and they also continue to make their own efforts to overcome the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

– In your opinion, is it possible to say that the SCO countries are much more independent in determining their foreign policy and position on certain international issues than the same European countries? What is the merit of this organization?

Instead of saying that there is some merit to this from the SCO, it is better to say that the member states of the large SCO family have a relatively high degree of comfort in coexisting with each other. This degree of comfort is mainly due to two factors, one of them is the “Shanghai Spirit”, which, in fact, is the idea of multilateralism and advocates the need to build interstate relations on the principles of equality, mutual respect, consideration of each other’s interests and concerns, mutually beneficial cooperation and non-interference into internal affairs.

The second factor is the SCO security concept. The member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, based on many years of cooperation, have formed an equal, common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable concept of security. We strongly reject the Cold War mentality and emphasize building security through cooperation and resolving disputes through dialogue. This is highly welcomed by Member States and plays an important role in maintaining regional stability and prosperity.

– The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Belarus are actively involved in the procedures for joining the SCO, what will the accession of these two countries give the organization? Which states have applied to join the organization, to join as an observer or a dialogue partner in the last year?

The international community is closely following the expansion of the SCO family. In 2017, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization had a fairly large expansion round, accepting India and Pakistan as member states, and another major expansion began in 2022.

In September, the SCO held a Summit in Samarkand, during which the leaders of the member states decided to start the procedure for Belarus to join the SCO as a full member and to launch the process of joining Bahrain, Kuwait, the Maldives, the United Arab Emirates and Myanmar as dialogue partners of the SCO.

I signed a Memorandum of Commitment in the SCO with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, as well as Memorandums on granting the status of dialogue partner in the SCO with representatives of Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and other countries. Thus, the SCO family has 26 members. If you see applications from all sides on my table, you will feel the attraction and influence of the SCO in the international arena even more strongly.

I am sure that as new members join, the SCO will play a more important role in maintaining regional security and stability, expanding the “pie” of common interests of member states and promoting the development of the global governance system in a fair and reasonable direction. Taking this opportunity, I would like to reiterate that the SCO is an open organization, and any country that agrees with the “Shanghai Spirit” and observes the SCO Charter can join it.

– We see that against the backdrop of anti-Russian sanctions, the structure of the global energy market has begun to change actively, the United States is trying to adjust it for itself, but not all countries agree with this, including SCO members and dialogue partners. In your opinion, can the SCO countries build their own energy partnership, which would work primarily for the interests of the countries of the association? Do the SCO need to create a separate mechanism for this?

The mutually beneficial cooperation of the SCO in the field of energy has great potential and broad prospects, because the SCO has both suppliers and consumers of energy, there are exporting and importing countries of energy resources, there are rich deposits of oil and gas, and there are pipelines of considerable capacity, advanced technological and engineering potential. In terms of energy, the SCO can be called a miniature version of the Community of a Common Destiny for Humanity.

The SCO countries have long paid increased attention to energy cooperation, carried out highly effective research and practical activities, accumulated valuable experience and achieved fruitful results. In 2021, a new cooperation mechanism was launched within the framework of the SCO – a meeting of energy ministers of the member states of the organization, which gave a new impetus to the development of highly effective energy cooperation in the SCO.

Against the background of serious challenges to energy security caused by factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical conflicts, the development of effective energy cooperation within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has become even more relevant.

The creation of cooperation mechanisms and the improvement of the regulatory framework provided good conditions for regional energy cooperation, gave new impetus to regular dialogues and joint response to new challenges and threats in this area, and also provided guarantees and confidence in the security and stability of the international energy market.

Next, we need to work together to implement the agreements reached, ensure the sustainable development of energy and ensure that our energy producing and supplying countries, as well as the region and the international community, benefit from our cooperation.

– Last year, a meeting of the heads of defense departments of the SCO countries took place in Moscow, during which the parties discussed cooperation in the military sphere. Do you think the SCO should focus on strengthening military cooperation?

Cooperation in the areas of security and defense is one of the main areas of activity within the framework of the SCO. The SCO is one of the first international organizations in the world to put the fight against terrorism at the forefront. To date, a number of documents on cooperation in the field of security have been adopted, namely: the “Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism”, the “Treaty on Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation between Member States”, and an effective and reliable platform for cooperation has also been created.

Member States are constantly improving the mechanisms of the Conference of Defense Ministers and Chiefs of General Staff. Multilateral or bilateral joint anti-terrorist military exercises, personnel training exchanges and advanced training courses in the field of border guards have been held on numerous occasions. Concrete results have been achieved, especially in achieving strategic security, defense security, law enforcement security, information security, in the fight against the forces of the “three evils” (terrorism, extremism, separatism), drugs, money laundering and organized crime.

The efforts of the SCO directly contribute to maintaining peace, security and stability in the region, meet the vital interests of its member states and allow our peoples to fully enjoy the dividends that bring them rapid economic and social development achieved in a calm and normal environment.

– Are there any joint SCO military exercises planned this year? If so, will countries other than full members of the organization participate in them?

Based on the results of the meeting of the Ministers of Defense of the SCO member states, it was decided to conduct joint military anti-terrorist command and staff exercises “Peace Mission-2023” on the territory of the Russian Federation, during which methods will be worked out to counter new tactics used by international terrorists, including issues of combating unmanned aerial vehicles, ensuring information security, preventing terrorist attacks using chemical and biological weapons.

Participation in the “Peace Mission” of other countries is allowed, but the final decision will be made in the course of appropriate consultations by all member states of the organization on the basis of consensus.

– What do you think needs to be done to increase more effective trade and economic cooperation between the SCO countries? How is the initiative to increase mutual settlements in national currencies going?

The long-term prospects for trade and economic cooperation within the framework of the SCO are associated with the need for a gradual transition to the free movement of goods, capital, services and technologies. Currently, the work of various specialized cooperation mechanisms, in fact, is aimed at creating the necessary conditions for this. An important factor in this context is the consistent expansion by member states of the practice of using national currencies in mutual settlements.

During the September 2022 meeting of the Council of Heads of SCO Member States in Samarkand, a Roadmap was adopted to gradually increase the share of national currencies in mutual settlements of the SCO member states.

Today on the agenda is the practical implementation of this document. Relevant work is carried out within the framework of a specially created and regularly meeting expert group represented by representatives of the central banks of the member states. Issues of expanding the use of national currencies are also being promoted on the platform of the SCO Interbank Association, a public structure created to organize a mechanism for financing and banking investment projects supported by the governments of the SCO member states.

Topical today is the expansion of the use of national currencies in trade finance operations, the intensification of work on the formation of a system of cross-border payments in national currencies and the exchange of relevant financial information. Obviously, the development of mechanisms for financing investment projects acceptable to all parties, the creation of the Development Bank and the SCO Special Account will help to fill practical cooperation with new content.

The development of healthy economic relations in the modern world is also impossible without deepening the interconnectedness within the organization. An important role in creating favorable conditions for the development of trade is played by the most convenient and shortest transportation routes, simplification and digitalization of documentation and procedures for improving transport infrastructure.

In this regard, the leaders of the eight SCO countries at the Samarkand Summit adopted the Concept of Cooperation on the Development of Interconnectivity and the Creation of Efficient Transport Corridors, the Program for Infrastructure Development in the SCO Space, and the Statement on Ensuring Reliable, Sustainable and Diversified Supply Chains. The implementation of the designated documents will help build up more effective trade and economic cooperation between the SCO member states.

– How much, according to the SCO, have security risks increased in the region after the Taliban (Taliban * – the organization is under UN sanctions for terrorist activities, banned in the Russian Federation) came to power in Afghanistan? Does the organization still have channels for contacts with the current leadership of the country? Are any joint efforts being made by the SCO to prevent the growth of drug trafficking and the terrorist threat to the countries of the association bordering Afghanistan?

The SCO has its origins in security cooperation and has always considered it a priority. Security cooperation can only be strengthened, it cannot be weakened, and this is a common call that I heard during my visits to the SCO member states in 2022.

Afghanistan is a country in the SCO region, and the Afghan issue is directly linked to regional security and development interests. The SCO has long paid close attention to the Afghan issue and has always placed it high on the security agenda. Since its inception in 2005, the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group has played an active role in consolidated regional efforts to mediate the Afghan issue. In recent years, the SCO has also cooperated with the CIS and the CSTO on the Afghan issue.

At the same time, the SCO supports the efforts of the international community with the key coordinating role of the UN to ensure political, socio-economic and humanitarian stability, the SCO member countries actively provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and support the economic reconstruction of Afghanistan and practical cooperation.

The SCO will make efforts to play an active role, based on sincerity and consensus of all parties, in helping to resolve the Afghan problem and continuously improve Afghanistan’s ability to cope with security risks and challenges.

– The SCO has been holding an international marathon for many years, does the association plan to organize international competitions in other sports for athletes from member countries, dialogue partners and observers?

Sport is one of the important tools for ensuring peace, social integration and sustainable development, as well as an important component of the humanitarian direction of SCO cooperation. The SCO seeks to popularize sports and a healthy lifestyle. Every year we hold a number of events aimed at developing sports exchanges between member states. Since 2016, the Kunming Marathon has been held on a regular basis, since 2019 – the Issyk-Kul Marathon. The Kunming Marathon has a silver license from the International Association of Athletics Federations. And the winner of the Issyk-Kul marathon has the opportunity to participate in the Summer Olympic Games. In addition, separate marathons under the auspices of the SCO were repeatedly held in Dushanbe, Tashkent and other cities. These marathons have become the “calling card” of the organization.

In 2022, the first meeting of the heads of relevant ministries and departments responsible for the development of physical culture and sports of the SCO member states was held. This format of interaction allows the SCO countries to strengthen and develop sports ties and activate promising areas of cooperation in this area. At the meeting of the Council of Heads of SCO Member States in Samarkand this year, the heads of SCO member states proposed holding international sports events under the auspices of the SCO, emphasizing the importance of cooperation in this area.

It should be noted that the SCO presiding states can initiate the holding of any kind of sports competitions. Thus, in 2022, under the chairmanship of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the eSports Championship was held among students of the SCO member states, and under the chairmanship of the Indian side, the first boat race is planned to be held in 2023.

As for the participation of athletes from observer states or dialogue partners, it is worth noting that, of course, such a format of competitions is possible and is being considered. At the moment, we are studying a proposal to create an Association of Sports Organizations under the auspices of the SCO.

Of course, the practical implementation of the projects will depend on the international and epidemiological situation. But we are full of optimism and ready to promote the sports spirit of the SCO.

– What are the main activities planned by the SCO for 2023?

In September 2022, India for the first time became the chairman of the SCO for 2022-2023 it did a lot of work and, together with all member states, prepared an Action Plan for 2022-2023.

According to the Indian Chairmanship Plan, more than 100 events are planned, covering political, economic, cultural, humanitarian and security issues. Among them are regular meetings of the main mechanisms of the Organization and events related to new initiatives of the SCO member states. As of the end of 2022, 20 events have been successfully held.

The main event of this year, of course, will be the meetings of the Council of Foreign Ministers and the Council of Heads of State of the SCO Member States in India, as well as the Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) of the Member States in the Kyrgyz Republic. The parties are currently discussing the duration of the meetings and the agenda.