SCO to deepen cooperation in cultural exchanges

The member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) will continue their productive bilateral and multilateral cooperation in culture, people-to-people and youth exchanges respectively.

The SCO members are - India, Pakistan, China, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

The member states will also deepen their cooperation in other fields such as - education, science, technology, healthcare, tourism, crafts environmental protection for the sake of mutual enrichment.

Based on the agreement between the governments of the SCO member states on cooperation in culture, which was signed in Bishkek on August 16, 2007, the member states will continue to facilitate the development of cultural ties within the SCO, as well as better mutual understanding between people with more respect for the cultural traditions and customs of the member states, preserve and encourage cultural diversity, hold international festivals and competitions, expand ties between musicians, theatres, artists, film-makers, archives, museums and libraries, and also develop cooperation in studying and preserving the nature and cultural heritage of the entire region, including along the historical Great Silk Road.

The SCO members also noted the importance of holding the events under - The SCO: Our Common Home project at the SCO Secretariat, as well as open days, conferences and roundtable discussions that involve youth.

The member states welcome the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding and cooperation between the SCO Secretariat and UNESCO, which reflects the aspiration of these international organisations to develop constructive cooperation in the humanitarian area, including with the aim of raising awareness of culture and cultural achievements, as well as the historical heritage of the SCO member states.

The SCO states, while acknowledging the importance of sport as an effective factor in promoting dialogue between people of different countries, believe that sport should be separated from politics. They believe that the upcoming 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, the international Wushu competition in Chongqing on 18-19 May 2018, regular SCO marathons, and International Yoga Day held annually will contribute to stronger friendship, peace, mutual understanding and harmony.

The member states continued to implement the agreement between the governments of the respective SCO member states on cooperation in education in order to expand education exchanges and jointly prepare highly skilled personnel. Based on the principle of mutual respect, the SCO member states will further develop practical cooperation in teacher and student exchanges, joint scientific work, academic visits, foreign language-learning courses, professional education and youth exchanges.

The member states pointed the need to cooperate in various areas, such as building the potential for fast response in emergency healthcare, ensuring the sanitary and epidemiological safety of the population, fighting against the distribution of counterfeit medical products, countering the spread of infectious diseases, preventing and monitoring chronic diseases, conventional medicine and pharmaceutics, medical education and research, implementing joint programmes for promoting global development, medical service and medical staff exchanges, ensuring safety and high quality food in order to jointly protect public health, providing incentives for the development of healthcare; and promoting innovative cooperation.

The member states will continue to develop constructive dialogue, expand, as partners, their multifaceted cooperation in order to effectively resolve regional and global issues in the interests of enhancing political and economic stability and building a fair and equitable world order.

(ANI)