(VOVWORLD) - A one-day virtual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) opened on Tuesday. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the leaders of other SCO members attended the event.
 Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at the SCO virtual summit. (Photo: kremlin.ru) |
The theme of India's SCO presidency is “SECURE", which stands for Security, Economic development, Connectivity, Unity, and Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and Environmental protection.
In his opening speech, Modi underscored the need for countries to respect territorial sovereignty, increase connectivity, join the fight against terrorism, and raise cooperation into a new height.
President Putin told the summit that Russia will stand up against sanctions, and said a hybrid war is being waged against Moscow, which involves illegal sanctions on Russia that are unprecedented in scale.
Despite this, he said, Russia has been and will continue to confidently counter external pressure, sanctions, and provocative incitements.
Putin said, “In the current context, our country will continue to develop steadily. The Russian people are consolidated as never before. Russian political circles and the whole of society clearly demonstrate their unity and elevate sense of responsibility for the fate of the Fatherland by responding as a united front against an attempted armed mutiny."
Putin said the SCO is committed to creating a just, multipolar world coordinated by the United Nations. He reiterated Russia's proposal to transform the SCO's regional counterterrorism structure into a global hub responsible for dealing with all security threats. The Russian leader supports the expansion of the SCO and the completion of Belarus’s accession.
On Tuesday the SCO summit issued a joint statement affirming its readiness for extensive cooperation with all countries. The document states that the SCO opposes trying to resolve global and regional issues through "confrontational thinking".
Founded by China and Russia in 2001, the SCO has 8 official members: India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan. Iran attended this conference as an unofficial member. SCO member countries account for 40% of the world's population and more than 30% of global GDP.