Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has proposed a new international security system
Addressing a regular meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's Heads of Government, Vladimir Putin proposed creating three inter-state security belts against terrorism, the illegal drug trade, and illegal financial activity. This system could also encompass new SCO members. An Iranian spokesperson said that his country would apply for SCO membership at the next summit.
Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, is hosting the current SCO conference attended by delegations from Kazakhstan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and China. The Council of SCO Heads of Government meets once a year, prioritising economic issues.
"We propose drafting a 'road map' of joint actions for the next decade and defining specific measures to implement the Programme of SCO States' Trade and Economic Cooperation. We invite observers [Mongolia, Iran, India, and Pakistan], dialogue partners and other concerned countries to join these initiatives," Vladimir Putin said, while greeting the other delegates.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that the SCO states possessed the necessary means for collective development. Notably, the SCO has tremendous transportation potential. "First of all, this implies the continental north-south and Asia-Europe corridors," he noted.
"Certainly, we could launch all-out cooperation in this sphere," Putin said.
SCO states will open a special account because investment is needed to implement various joint projects. Putin said that he and his counterparts had already agreed to expedite the process.
"The account will serve as an instrument of financial support for specific projects and will accumulate state funding and private investment," Prime Minister Vladimir Putin explained.
The prime ministers agreed that SCO citizens should establish closer and more intensive interaction. In an effort to facilitate this process, the SCO and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) are discussing the creation of security belts in the fight against terrorism, drug trafficking, and financial racketeering. The details of this triple protection plan are to be finalised.
Yulia Shestopyorova