On 17 August, SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov spoke at the opening of the Asia-Pacific Video Forum on Public Security held by the Peace and Development Foundation (Hainan Province, China).
Taking part in the event were 34 representatives of competent agencies and expert communities from China, Russia, Israel, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malaysia, Singapore and Japan. It was dedicated to countering terrorism and non-traditional threats to security within the Belt and Road space.
The SCO Secretary-General stressed that the epidemiologic and socioeconomic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic must not result in the accumulation of unpredicted risks in the sphere of global and regional security.
Mr Norov stated that the growing distrust and confrontation moods in international relations left only narrow opportunities for an open and substantive dialogue and make the world more vulnerable for strengthening challenges. He called for promoting inclusive and de-politicised cooperation in order to develop effective mechanisms to respond to today's cross-border threats.
Mr Norov noted that the successful implementation of large economic projects in the Asian-Pacific region, including in the SCO and ASEAN member states, was only possible with the necessary focus on transregional security.
The Secretary-General emphasised that complex preventive work with the youth and effective law enforcing measures were necessary to block the channels providing human resources to terrorists adding that it was important to start joint work in order to develop a convention on countering chemical and biologic terrorist attacks.
The Secretary-General added that projects to construct large trading and economic corridors in Eurasia, including the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road should go together with measures to prevent illegal drug trafficking. He stressed the SCO member states' special role in combatting Afghan drug trafficking.
Mr Norov also pointed out the importance of keeping down the increase in ICT crimes, including via developing universal principles and rules of states' responsible behaviour in information space.
The Secretary-General suggested using the forum in the future to strengthen comprehensive dialogue between the SCO and ASEAN to counter new threats and challenges in the Asian-Pacific region.