On 15 June 2021, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation celebrated the 20th anniversary since its establishment. In this connection, congratulatory messages on the occasion of this memorable date continue coming to SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov.
In his congratulatory message, Chairman of the SCO Council of Heads of State and President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon offered his heart-felt greetings and noted that over the past period of time the SCO had successfully covered the path of institutionalisation, established itself as an effective mechanism for equitable partnership and taken its well-deserved place among multilateral international cooperation organisations.
The message says: "You and the SCO Secretariat staff you head, while consistently performing the tasks to expand the practical payback from the collaboration mechanisms, tasks that have been assigned to you, are comprehensively promoting the rapprochement among the peoples living in the SCO space.
"I am quite sure that the anniversary SCO Summit scheduled for 16-17 September 2021 in Dushanbe will make it possible to sum up our joint work for the past 20 years, and map out plans and targets for the upcoming period of time."
President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko also congratulated SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov on the 20th anniversary of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and noted that during the time it has been in existence the SCO had successfully gained an international reputation, emerging as an equal participant in the key world processes. Today, the SCO is taking part in efforts to solve the most difficult problems on the global agenda.
It is playing an important role in ensuring regional security, restoring the world economy, as well as promoting cultural and scientific ties.
The Belarusian president emphasised that it was the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation that provided an example of cohesion and mutual help during the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
In his message, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Belarus Vladimir Makei congratulated the SCO Secretary-General and noted that today the SCO was a crucial part of the international collaboration system in Eurasia and was making an important contribution to the endeavour to maintain security and stability in the region. Its successes in fighting terrorism, extremism, illicit drug and arms trafficking and trans-border crime have gained deserved recognition all over the world.

In his message, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu congratulated from the bottom of his heart Secretary-General Norov and noted that Turkey was regarding the SCO as an important partner in Asia.
The message says: "In this context, we welcome the SCO Secretariat's roadmap for collaboration with the observer states and dialogue partners, which provides a broad basis for further development of our cooperation.
"Turkey has historical ties and maintains wide-format cooperation with many SCO member states and observer states. Apart from this, we support the Shanghai Spirit based on trust, shared benefit, equality, respect for cultural diversity and common development principles."
The congratulatory message by the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Pierre Krahenbuhl, says that over the past two decades the SCO has become an important player and platform in international relations. Thanks to its wide range of operations, the SCO has made an important contribution to the wellbeing of nations, the development of cooperation between its member states, and the strengthening of regional security.
Mr Krahenbuhl's message says, in part: "The SCO-promoted Shanghai Spirit remains highly pertinent in a world where mankind is confronted with comprehensive challenges, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic."
Chairman of the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan Karim Massimov sent the SCO Secretary-General a congratulatory message, which says that in a comparatively brief period of time the SCO has managed to bring together states with a half of the world's population and become by right the main international centre of stability and security in the Eurasian space.
The message says, in part: "The SCO is an example of successful partnership in a wide spectrum of regional cooperation issues."
Executive Director of the Secretariat of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia Kairat Sarybay noted in his congratulatory message to Secretary-General Norov that during the past twenty years, the SCO had achieved considerable success in maintaining peace and accelerating economic growth in the region.
Mr Sarybay also expressed readiness on behalf of the CICA Secretariat to enhance coordination and collaboration with the SCO Secretariat to jointly promote regional security and development.
In his letter, Chairman of the EAEU Board Mikhail Myasnikovich sincerely congratulated Secretary-General Norov and stressed that in a historically brief period of time, the SCO had become one of the pillars of international relations, while cooperation within the SCO played a leading part in ensuring security and stability in the space stretching from the Arctic to the Indian Ocean and from the Pacific to the Baltic Sea. The SCO performs an important role in restoring the world economy and in promoting cultural and scientific ties. The SCO is also displaying cohesion and team spirit in the difficult period marked by the worldwide fight with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In his message of congratulations, Director of the SCO Friendship and Cooperation Centre in Tajikistan Abduhalil Davlatali stressed that since its inception the SCO was confidently following the path towards stronger friendship, trust, neighbourliness and cooperation. The SCO is demonstrating an example of a new format of international relations based on mutual respect, equality, justice and mutually beneficial cooperation.
Director of the SCO Centre for Public Diplomacy in Uzbekistan Kobilzhon Sobirov said in his message that over the past twenty years of its development, the SCO had established itself as an authoritative organisation and had also become an important model for collaboration on regional security, stability and cooperation. It has gained worldwide recognition and confidently fills its niche in the system of international relations.
Director of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexei Maslov noted in his congratulatory message that within a comparatively brief timeframe the SCO had emerged as a powerful transregional organisation. The SCO has deservedly gained international prestige by its coherent and coordinated actions, respectful relations, the Shanghai Spirit and its successes in various fields.
Congratulatory messages continue arriving.