On 24 June 2020 SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov took part in the annual OSCE Security Review Conference at the invitation of the OSCE Secretariat. This year's conference was held via video conference.
Representatives of 57 OSCE participating states, 6 OSCE Partners for Cooperation states and 10 international organisations convened for the event.
Speaking at the session Transnational Threats: Current and Future Trends in the OSCE Space and Beyond, Vladimir Norov stressed that SCO and OSCE are the largest trans-regional associations in Eurasia in terms of territory and population, and which pursue multifaceted activities in preserving peace and stability, sustainable economic and humanitarian progress. He noted joint efforts by the two organisations to enhance security in Central Asia.
The Secretary-General stated that as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the socio-economic crisis new risks have emerged that are connected with the spread of radical ideas in society, a surge in ICT crime, bioterrorism threats, the emergence of new drug trafficking channels and the funding of terrorist activity.
Vladimir Norov said that all these challenges are under the scrutiny of the SCO member states and that this will be reflected in the documents that are to be discussed at the forthcoming SCO Summit in St Petersburg.
The Secretary-General emphasised the importance of maintaining dialogue on Afghanistan recovery issues, a state that is at the same time a SCO observer state and OSCE's Asian Partner for Cooperation.
Specially stressed was the necessity to step up global solidarity and depoliticised international cooperation for the purpose of thwarting emerging threats in the most efficient and least painful manner.
In conclusion, Vladimir Norov praised the SCO and OSCE secretariats' working contacts and expressed hope that they will produce a useful and synergetic contribution toward building a united and indivisible space for security and development.