Rashid Alimov: “Longtime Mongolia-SCO cooperation can develop into solid full-fledged partnership.” SCO Secretary-General’s interview with Mongolian state television

Early this morning, Mongolia's Mongolyn Medee state-owned television channel interviewed SCO Secretary-General Rashid Alimov before his departure and the completion of the official programme of his Mongolian visit. During the interview, Mr Alimov told the Mongolian audiences about the SCO and the main priorities of its work.

He highlighted that the SCO had now become a dynamically developing organisation with a colossal potential and a bright future. "Sustained intra-SCO dialogue between various cultures and civilisations facilitates insights, enrichment and, ultimately, greater mutual understanding between the peoples of the SCO member states. This is the organisation's main civilisational mission. One can say that the SCO is an inter-civilisational organisation, unique in many ways, that reduces the potential for conflicts between civilisations in its area of responsibility," Mr Alimov said.

When asked to assess the level of Mongolia-SCO cooperation and prospects for expanding it, Mr Alimov said: "In 2004, Mongolia became the first country to receive observer status at the SCO. Since then, we have witnessed the unswerving resolve of our Mongolian friends to take an active part in the meetings of heads of state and government, ministerial meetings and other SCO events. In 2010, the Mongolian capital successfully hosted a meeting of the SCO Business Council. It goes without saying that the ongoing SCO dialogue with Mongolian partners at various venues and in various formats is a weighty factor of strengthening regional cooperation, and helps expand relations between the SCO and Mongolia."

Mr Alimov noted that "the SCO strives to steadily expand cooperation with observers and dialogue partners. At the same time, any country wishing to take part in special cooperation segments and in charting universal SCO decisions should become a full-fledged member of the organisation. This opens up new opportunities for expanded cooperation and taking part in joint work. In the past 14 years, Mongolia-SCO cooperation has acquired a new level and quality. The accession of India and Pakistan as full-fledged SCO members creates new prospects for cooperation between Mongolia and the SCO."