The Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Dmitry Mezentsev, on Thursday voiced his hope that the strategy for SCO's future development could be adopted at the bloc's upcoming summit.
The SCO Development Strategy until 2025 is a comprehensive blueprint that covers a variety of issues, and it is of great significance to deepen SCO cooperation in the next 10 years, Mezentsev told Xinhua at the ongoing Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) which kicked off here Thursday.
Putting the strategy into practice is conducive to boosting the influence of SCO and helping it play a bigger and more effective role in tackling global issues, he added.
Speaking of the China-proposed Silk Road Economic Belt initiative, Mezentsev said as China has invited SCO members to participate in the plan, it makes sense for those countries to combine their own economic development plans with the initiative, which is helpful to bring together the strength of all sides to improve the infrastructure construction of SCO and beef up regional economy.
While remarkable results have been gained in the economic cooperation of SCO, Mezentsev said, there is still great potential to tap, and several rounds of talks and meetings have been scheduled later this year in a bid to further promote economic and trade cooperation.
The three-day SPIEF attracted about 7,500 government officials, business leaders and representatives of financial organizations from 114 countries to discuss the most pressing issues of global economy, with a view to finding new opportunities to expand international and regional cooperation.
Founded in 2001, the SCO currently has China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as its full members, with Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan as observers and Belarus, Turkey and Sri Lanka as dialogue partners.
Russia holds the rotating presidency of the SCO in 2015, with a summit to be held in Ufa, the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia, in early July.
