Consul General of Russia in Shanghai, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the Secretariat of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in 2009-2013 and 2017-2022. Dmitry Lukyantsev gave an interview to the China Breath magazine.

The press service of the SCO Secretariat cites key theses:

– The past SCO summit (September 15-16, Samarkand) is a record one in terms of the number of agreements, programs and decisions adopted that contribute to a qualitatively new practical content of cooperation in such areas as information and communication technologies, food security.

– The pace of work in the SCO remains high, its areas are diversifying, and there is an active search for promising joint projects. The SCO is showing itself to be a viable association with ambitious plans and a great future.

– The SCO Charter contains a provision on the open nature of the Organization, on the readiness to develop mutually beneficial cooperation with all interested states and multilateral associations. This cannot but contribute to the growth of the SCO’s attractiveness in the eyes of the world community.

– In September 2022, a decision was made to start the procedure for admission to the SCO of Belarus. Iran is expected to join in the near future. The institutions of observer states and dialogue partners of the SCO are expanding. There really is a line of people wishing to join the SCO process in one form or another, and it is quite impressive.

– Over the 21 years of the existence of the Organization, new areas of activity have emerged, mechanisms and forms of interaction have become more ramified, not only at the official level, but also through the so-called “second track”. To systematize and structure them is precisely the task of improving the activities of the Organization.

– At the expert level, plans are being worked out to gradually increase the share of national currencies in mutual settlements within the SCO. The consultations have not been completed yet, but the intermediate results are presented in the form of a “road map”. The goal is to create conditions for the functioning of the settlement system in national currencies.

– There is no purely military component in the SCO and never has been. Its activities are not directed against any third parties or organizations. Maintaining peace and ensuring security in the SCO space is one of the Organization’s three key priorities. But cooperation between the defense departments is limited to the exchange of experience in the field of national military development and the development of joint actions to neutralize specific terrorist acts.

– There are no grounds to assert that the situation, even taking into account the sharp deterioration of the situation in the world, will lead to a revision of the nature of the SCO towards the formation of a purely military component in it, is not yet visible. The tasks of the SCO are completely different.