Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Nov.13
By Demir Azizov– Trend:
Cooperation among members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is needed to prevent emergency situations, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry said during a meeting of the body in China’s Chengdu City on Nov. 10-12.
The participants discussed issues related to responding to emergency situations of a natural and technological nature.
According to the Uzbek delegation, interaction is an efficient factor in maintaining stability and security, creating favorable conditions for strengthening cooperation among member countries in preventing risks associated with emergency situations.
The representatives of Uzbekistan also disclosed the recent emergency situations in their country, as well as measures to prevent them, in cooperation with neighboring countries.
They cited the importance of fostering agreements with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan in conducting aerial surveys of the mountains and foothills along their common borders. The surveys are a source of possible threats to the population and economic facilities in the areas.
Another issue raised is the joint effort to fight locust infestation as its effectiveness depends on the coordination of the relevant services of neighboring countries.
On environmental emergencies, the group pointed to problems related to the drying up of the Aral Sea and its consequences.
“The magnitude of the consequences of the current unfavorable ecological situation affects not only Uzbekistan and the Central Asian countries, but also the entire world community,” it said.
The SCO includes Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It was previously announced that a meeting of heads of SCO member-states was held in Ufa (Russia) in July 2015. A decision was made to increase the number of its participants. The documents on admitting India and Pakistan were signed. Belarus became an observer. Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia and Nepal became the dialogue partners.
Afghanistan, Iran, Mongolia are the SCO observer-countries, while Turkey, Sri Lanka are dialogue partners.
The Executive Committee is based in Tashkent.
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