Interview: Shanghai Spirit evolves into comprehensive concept of int'l relations, says Kyrgyz expert
BISHKEK, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai Spirit, the guiding principle of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), has transformed into a comprehensive concept of international relations, a Kyrgyz political expert has said.
Within the SCO, the voice of a small state is as important and valuable as that of a major one, Sheradil Baktygulov, director of the Institute of World Policy of Kyrgyzstan, told Xinhua.
"This is the main achievement of the Shanghai Spirit, and an innovation that has been introduced into international relations in the modern world," the expert noted. The Shanghai Spirit shows that China, one of the largest countries in the world, treats the views of other states with great respect, he added.
With more than 20 years of development, the SCO's circle of friends has expanded to 26 countries across Asia, Europe and Africa.
"There is no country or group of countries in the organization that dominates and dictates its conditions to other countries, or how other countries should act and behave. These SCO principles underlie good-neighborly relations and friendship between countries," the expert said, noting that this is what attracts more and more countries to join the SCO.
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), he said, fits perfectly into the concept of the SCO, an important platform for BRI construction.
"The SCO is one of the most authoritative and well-developed structures for coordinating our joint efforts to harness the opportunities of the initiative. Decisions made within the SCO contribute directly to the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative," he said.
The expert deems the SCO a model for the development of international relations. "It demonstrates to other countries of the Global South and to regional organizations how to cooperate successfully -- not through pressure, coercion, or aggressive management methods, but on the basis of goodwill," Baktygulov said.
The ongoing SCO summit in the Chinese city of Tianjin is being held in a more expanded format and is especially important amid global turbulence, said the political scientist. "Of course, the decisions of the summit, and those that will be announced by the leaders of the SCO member states, are of key importance." ■
