ALMATY, Kazakhstan, Nov. 30 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- A large-scale
international conference, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO):
Results and Prospects, is being held in the city of Almaty from November 30
through December 1, 2006, Kazakhstan’s Public Diplomacy Foundation said.
The conference covers problems and prospects linked to the activities of
the SCO, the largest and most influential military, political and economic
alliance of Eurasian countries.
Cooperation with the SCO is a key geopolitical priority for Kazakhstan in
forming a regional security system. It is the SCO that clearly represents
Kazakhstan’s main strategic allies. For Kazakhstan, which seeks to maintain
a balance of power, it is very important in terms of foreign policy
efficiency to have such allies as Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan united in one bloc. This is why Kazakhstan, which has been a
member of the SCO since it was founded, is putting more and more effort into
making the SCO more constructive, and increasing the SCO’s international
prestige and influence.
SCO Secretary General Zhang Deguang’s term is about to expire. Kazakh
Foreign Affairs Minister Kasymzhomart Tokayev said in April during an
official visit to Beijing: "We take this issue very seriously. The position
of the SCO’s secretary general is likely to be taken by a quite experienced
diplomat from our country." Bolat Nurgaliyev has been approved for the
position after an elaborate selection process, and will assume office on
January 1, 2007.
After the Kazakh representative becomes secretary general, Kazakhstan
will clearly play a very active role in the SCO’s activities. Kazakhstan
will be more persistent in proposing new solutions to political and economic
problems faced by the members of the organization. The position of secretary
general will also change in 2007, becoming more independent and influential.
As a result of Kazakhstan’s efforts to make the SCO more attractive to
the international community, international political and social groups have
undoubtedly paid more attention to the organization’s activities and its
global prospects. The effectiveness of Kazakhstan’s efforts is confirmed by
the fact that the SCO’s conference is being held in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s
main financial and cultural center. Leading experts in geopolitics and
regional problems linked to the SCO’s activities are taking part in the
conference. The concept of the conference is quite constructive: summing up
the results of the SCO’s activities for the past five years and considering
scenarios and variants of the SCO’s future development.
The principal goal of the conference, set by Kazakhstan, is to develop a
common position and a blueprint for the future implementation of the SCO’s
stated goals by all SCO members on an unofficial, consultative level. It
should be noted that Kazakhstan has always seen the SCO as a powerful
guarantee of a multilateral and balanced foreign policy, which Kazakhstan
will continue to implement in the future.
