BEIJING. April 24 (Interfax-AVN) - Member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) manage to prevent any destabilization in the organization's area of engagement despite the deterioration of the international situation, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.
"I would like to stress that maintaining peace and stability inalterably remains a key priority of the SCO. Despite the worsening of the international situation, we are managing to prevent destabilization in the organization's area of engagement," Shoigu said at a meeting of the defense ministers of the SCO member countries in Beijing on Tuesday.
In his Federal Assembly address delivered in March 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin "called for cooperation as to how to update the international security system and ensure the sustainable development of civilization," he said.
"The activities of the SCO should largely contribute to steps to achieve this goal," Shoigu said.
It is the first meeting of the SCO countries' defense ministers in a new composition, he said.
"Thanks to our joint efforts, India and Pakistan have become actively engaged in military cooperation within the organization and are taking part in all events held by the Defense Ministries," he said.
"Beyond any doubt, the enlargement of the SCO helps boost its influence not only in the political, economic and humanitarian spheres, but also in security. Additional opportunities are opening up to actively influence processes both on the regional and global levels," Shoigu said.
Diverse interaction within the SCO "has been developing in a dynamic and consistent manner," he said.
"New states have displayed their interest in the organization's activities and also their willingness to become its full-fledged members," Shoigu said.