President Vladimir Putin's address at the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Heads of State
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has achieved a resounding success: it has established itself as an authoritative international organisation and has become an important player in international politics.
However, new challenges in global politics and the economy, which all of us are aware of, require that we take a deep and thoughtful approach and optimise the activities of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
A shared vision of priorities and solutions is fixed in the main objectives of SCO’s development strategy, which we are to adopt today. Based on the results of this document’s implementation, we will prepare an ambitious programme of SCO’s future efforts.
Our key focus remains on regional security and stability. That is the main objective of the 2013-2015 SCO member states’ programme for cooperation in combating terrorism, separatism and extremism and the new draft provisions on political and diplomatic measures and response mechanisms in situations that threaten peace, security and stability in the region. Both these documents are to be adopted today.
Good results have been demonstrated by the mechanism of consultations between the foreign ministries with the participation of SCO member states and observers.
The Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure remains the main platform for strengthening cooperation in the fight against new challenges and threats. There is also untapped potential in the most active involvement of observer states and dialogue partners.
We have drafted and approved the Regulations and the Standard Protocol of Intent. However, competent observer authorities have not joined in the efforts of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure. I think that the crucial challenges facing this structure require that we accelerate our efforts and make the transition to practical cooperation with our partners.
Our defence agencies have much experience in counter-terrorism cooperation. They began by holding annual meetings, and have progressed to fieldwork, as they say in the military. The joint exercises Peace Mission are a good example of such cooperation. They will be held again in Tajikistan one week from today.
The 2011-2016 SCO Anti-Drug Strategy adopted a year ago at a summit in Astana serves as a basis for regional cooperation in combatting drugs.
Last year, at Russia’s initiative, a prevention operation was held jointly with China and Kazakhstan, as a result of which over four hundred drug-related crimes were solved. The SCO Secretariat has established contacts with the International Narcotics Control Board and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. The importance of stepping up efforts in this sphere was noted at the narrow-format meeting yesterday.
I believe that this can be achieved, including by establishing a universal centre for combating terrorism, drug trafficking and organised crime within the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. We already have an agency for combatting terrorism, which I have already mentioned: it is RATS. That agency could be made universal and given additional functions of coordinating the fight against drugs.
The prevention of terrorism and extremism is an equally important task, and public institutions, the media, religious groups, nongovernmental organisations, education, science and business must all become involved in the effort. We need an inter-faith dialogue, and in the context of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a dialogue between civilisations. This is stated in the main provisions of the SCO Development Strategy and the final Declaration, which we will sign today. Since we have reached a consensus on this issue, we could instruct our Foreign Ministries to work out the principles of launching such a dialogue and its format.
Our priorities include stepping up economic cooperation. The SCO’s focus is promoting large-scale joint projects; therefore it is vital to accelerate the preparation of a clear and comprehensive list of activities for expanding SCO projects.
The SCO Business Council makes a significant contribution to the development of economic cooperation. It has been headed for six years by a Russian national, Mr Mezentsev, whose candidacy we would like to propose for the post of SCO Secretary-General. I am certain that he will continue to pay close attention to continued improvement of the SCO’s economic dimension.
The Business Council has submitted an interesting proposal on the establishment of transport and logistics systems, in particular in Russia’s Chelyabinsk Region, as well as a network of technoparks in the regions of Russia and Kyrgyzstan. There are other promising proposals.
We have high hopes for the activities of the inter-bank association. Recently, an agreement was signed by SCO members’ banks on cooperation in the implementation of environmental protection and energy conservation projects. Another crucial document will be signed today: the agreement between the inter-bank association members on providing services to and promoting the development of the economy’s real sector.
Cooperation in the humanitarian sphere has been developing dynamically as well. Important events in the fields of culture and education were held as part of the good-neighbourly relations and friendship year, and strong contacts were established between SCO states’ youth organisations. I will single out China’s initiative to convene the Forum of Young Leaders in August 2011 and the Russian proposal to meet in Russia’s Altai Region in November for a youth forum on entrepreneurship and cross-border cooperation.
The SCO Network University has been developing successfully, as my colleagues have already mentioned here today. The administration of this institution will be based in Moscow, and 65 leading universities of SCO member states are already involved in the project.
We have always advocated closer cooperation between the SCO and Afghanistan. The organisation has already made a considerable contribution to addressing the Afghan problem. President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai has been taking part in our annual summits since 2004.
The International Conference on Afghanistan was held in Moscow in March 2009 under the SCO aegis. Consultations at the level of deputy foreign ministers focused on the Afghan problem take place on a regular basis, twice a year. Today, we will discuss the issue of granting SCO observer status to Afghanistan. We hope that this will allow our Afghan friends to make an even greater contribution to the development of regional cooperation.
SCO is an open organisation, which advocates expanding cooperation with multilateral bodies and states. We welcome everyone who seeks to cooperate with the SCO, and there is no doubt we made the right decision when we granted Turkey the status of dialogue partner.
Many of you here know about the joint efforts of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus to establish the Eurasian Economic Union. We have created a Customs Union and Common Economic Space. Today the SCO should upgrade its contacts with regional organisations established by the former Soviet states, such as EurAsEC, the Eurasian Economic Commission and Organisation of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) in the security sphere.
In 2004 at the initiative of the Russian Federation, heads of SCO states addressed international organisations in the Asia-Pacific region with a proposal to form a partnership network of multilateral organisations. Much has been done in this respect: we have established fruitful cooperation with ASEAN, the CSTO and CIS, we will soon sign a memorandum with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). It would be beneficial to establish relations with such an influential structure as BRICS.
We are aware that some countries in the region wish to work more closely with the SCO. I propose that we instruct our Foreign Ministries to study this issue and prepare for the next year’s summit in Kyrgyzstan a decision on universal financial, legal and administrative conditions for the admission of new members. Naturally, the basic interests of the founding states must be respected, and such decisions should always be adopted by a consensus.
In conclusion, I would like to thank President of China Hu Jintao for the extensive work done by him personally and all our Chinese friends and partners during China’s presidency.
The functions of the presidency in the SCO now pass to Kyrgyzstan. I wish our Kyrgyz friends every success in this demanding and responsible mission. On our part, we are ready to provide you with all necessary assistance and support.
Vladimir Putin met with Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjorn Jagland, who is in Russia on a working visit. The meeting discussed current issues concerning Russia’s relations with the Council of Europe.
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, We have completed the main part of our negotiations with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. He will have a meeting with the President of Russia in a few hours. As always, our conversation was very substantial and honest. We are sincerely interested in the consolidation of the role of the UN. This is one of the main tasks in the Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation approved by the President Vladimir Putin on 12 February 2013.
Question: I would like to start our conversation from your last international contacts and, first of all, from your meeting with US Secretary of State in Moscow on 7 May. The day after he left Moscow, John Kerry made a statement in Rome that there is no place for President Bashar al-Assad in the new transitional government. There were also statements that the White House had not made its final decision about armament of the opposition and is waiting for the results of the investigation of the use of chemical weapons in SAR to make this decision. We know about the agreements reached between Russia and the USA in Moscow, however, we would still like to understand why we have heard other statements, which do not fit within the framework of the agreements reached the day before, as soon as the US Secretary of State left Moscow.
Question: The “Partnership for Modernisation” program is a significant element of the Russian-German dialog. What else would you like to decide within the framework of this format? How do you see next stages of its implementation? Sergey Lavrov: First of all, I would like that governments do not interfere with the cooperation of companies dealing with innovations and their industrial deployment within the framework of “Partnership for Modernisation”. Governments should know how this happens, to create a legal framework, a maximally comfortable regime for such cooperation, while professionals should decide each in its sphere. The more contacts we have within the framework of “Partnership for Modernisation”, the more weighty results we achieve in the form of final products, workplaces, additional profits of companies in Russia and Germany. I think that we share these interests, especially on the background of the most magnificent events in the world and European economy.
Dear Mr Minister, dear Guido, Dear Dr von Studnitz, Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, friends, First of all, I would like to join the welcome words addressed to participants of the ceremonial meeting and to congratulate with an anniversary – 20 years of the German-Russian Forum, to wish its leaders, all employees and members success in their further work for the benefit of peoples of our countries.
Question (addressed to US Secretary of State John Kerry and Sergey Lavrov): After your recent discussions, including on Syria and the episode of detention of a US Embassy official in Moscow on a charge of espionage, do you think that your collective work is constructive? Sergey Lavrov (answers after John Kerry): Regarding the incident of the detention of a US Embassy official in Moscow that you have mentioned, everything, that the Russian party wished to say about it, was said yesterday in the comment of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. I have nothing to add.
Dear Mr Chairman,Dear colleagues, friends, First of all, I would like to thank our Swedish hosts for their hospitality, good organization of the today’s meeting and to congratulate Mr Carl Bildt with the results that were reached by the Arctic Council under Swedish chairmanship.
Today we sign the second in history legally binding panarctic document – Agreement on Cooperation on Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response in the Arctic. This is another evidence of high responsibility of Arctic countries for the state of affairs in the region. The next is the preparation of the Agreement on Marine Oil Spill Prevention.
Question: Can you provide any specifics based on results of your conversation with US Secretary of State John Kerry regarding deadlines and place of the international conference for Syria? Does Russia consider that SAR President Bashar al-Assad should participate in it?Sergey Lavrov: There is a common understanding that the conference should be held in Geneva, where grounds for the current advancement ahead were laid by adopting the known Communiqué in June 2012.
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