On 16 November 2020, People's Daily, TASS, IslamabadPOST and Centreline published interviews and articles by SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov dedicated to International Day for Tolerance.
The Secretary-General noted that the SCO is committed to the principles of tolerance, cultural diversity and shared progress. In today's international relations, maintaining and strengthening tolerance at the interstate level directly depends not only on the desire or aspirations of individual countries, but the model of interaction as well.
The SCO is a unique symbiosis of peoples, cultures, customs, traditions and mindsets. The association area includes 18 states which are home to over 3 billion people of almost 200 ethnicities.
"Our nations are united by a common destiny, historical memory, long-standing close contacts and relations and, most importantly, mutual trust and respect for each other. Strong interaction has been established between member states based on a joint determination of areas of common interest, the equitable importance of the opinions of all countries as a group and each country individually regardless of political or economic strength, with full preservation and respect for independence in their internal affairs and foreign policy.
Transparency and openness have become the SCO's hallmark. The organisation follows the principles enshrined in the SCO Charter, including not acting against other states or international organisations. The SCO is or has established contacts and cooperation with international and regional organisations, primarily, the UN and its agencies. "Today, we can safely assume that the "Shanghai Spirit" has introduced a new trend in the theory and practice of modern international relations realising the universal desire for globalisation and close integration," Secretary-General Norov said.
International Day for Tolerance is marked on November 16. On this day in 1995, the UNESCO member states adopted the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance and a Programme of Action. Tolerance in the declaration means respect, acceptance and proper understanding for the rich diversity of cultures, forms of self-expression and ways of manifesting them.
The full version of the interviews and articles are available at: