Rashid Alimov: “The SCO will always be young! In spirit! In daring plans! In strong friendship and striving for joint development!” SCO Headquarters marks SCO Day

On 15 June 2018, SCO Headquarters hosted celebrations dedicated to "SCO Day," an event attended by activists from the SCO Youth League, the Organisation's friends, and journalists from Chinese and foreign media outlets.

"It is highly symbolic that the SCO member state leaders met in Qingdao shortly before SCO Day and launched the organisation into a new orbit by their historic decisions. Each of the decisions they approved is aimed at strengthening the Shanghai Spirit, enhancing friendship and neighbourliness and expanding cooperation in politics and security, the economy and culture, education and science. Each of the decisions they adopted is addressed to the SCO's younger generation," the SCO Secretary-General said in his remarks to the participants and guests at the ceremony.

"Supporting youth during the SCO's development and the active involvement of young men and women in the SCO's creative programmes and projects is one of the strategic tasks taken on by our leaders," he said, stressing that "the SCO will always be young! In spirit! In daring plans! In strong friendship and striving for joint development!"

According to the Secretary-General, the SCO Charter and the principles of the Shanghai Spirit enshrined in it — mutual trust and shared benefit, equality and mutual consultations, respect for cultural diversity and the striving for joint development — will be the guiding star that leads young men and women towards constructive goals and spiritual milestones. "Study the SCO Charter, appreciate the Shanghai Spirit and look to the future with confidence — this future is in your hands," Mr Alimov told the young participants.

Specially for SCO Day, China's State Foreign Literature Publishing Authority (SFLPA) put out a gift edition of the SCO Charter, which SFLPA head, Mr Lu Cairong, donated to the Secretariat. Copies were given to the participants in the ceremony by the SCO Secretary-General and Mr Lu.

Bekeratou Artykbaye, a student from China's Mining Technological University, expressed gratitude to the SCO heads of state for their joint address to the youth and the Programme of Action for its implementation that included political, scientific, educational, cultural and information cooperation.

"We, the young people, will shape the future. For our part, we would like to assure you that SCO member state youth, by participating actively in the life of society, will make a worthy contribution to our countries' development and prosperity, to the strengthening of regional and global stability and security, and to the dialogue between nations, cultures and religions," Zhang Jie, a student from the Beijing Foreign Languages Institute, said in her address.

The seventeenth SCO Day was held in an atmosphere of friendship and unity.