At the invitation of the Xinhua news agency, SCO Secretary General Rashid Alimov had an online chat with the site's visitors.
During a nearly 60-minute interactive session, Mr Alimov answered 16 questions from the internet users regarding the historic SCO Summit in Astana held on 8-9 June, 2017, as well as on engaging the two new SCO members — India and Pakistan — in the full-fledged work in the organisation. At the readers' request, extensive coverage was given to the SCO interaction mechanisms in the political, economic, cultural and humanitarian areas, as well as issues pertaining to ensuring security.
The SCO Secretary General shared information on the functioning of the consensus principle as the only decision-making tool at the SCO. He also reported challenges and problems facing the SCO member-states due to the increasing drug threat. Some of Mr Alimov's answers dealt with cooperation development in transport and tourism, which have recently become the SCO's focal points. The Secretary General also talked about the role and significance of the regional economic development, and ways of aligning China's One Belt One Road project with the national strategies of the SCO member-states.
The conversation aroused great interest among internet users. The number of people participating in the SCO Secretary General's online interview was 458,610. Overall, 986 questions were submitted. Mr Alimov assured his audience that all the questions had been accepted and a form of feedback will be found to answer all the participants. The questions keep coming in.
The Xinhua news agency has set up a special section on its official website on the occasion of SCO Secretary General's visit and his live conversation with internet users featuring the full text of questions and answers in three languages and the video of the online chat.
To see the online conversation go to:
http://www.xinhuanet.com/world/shzzmszzf201/index.htm — Chinese;
http://russian.news.cn/alimov2017/index.htm — Russian;
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/special/a20170627/index.htm — English.
Prior to the online interview, SCO Secretary General Rashid Alimov had a meeting with Xinhuanet President Tian Shubin.