Shared responsibility

The summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, on Friday is a chance for the heads of member states to deepen the pragmatic cooperation between the six countries, and to discuss how to rise to the various challenges and threats the region faces today.

With the summit being held against the backdrop of persistent turmoil in west Asia and north Africa and new complexities in Afghanistan, all of which pose challenges to regional security and stability, the rest of the world is keen to know whether the bloc's blueprint for the next decade will help it play an even bigger role in building lasting peace and common prosperity in the region and beyond.

Fostering a stable and secure environment for common development was and will continue to be the primary objective of the regional group, and this has been cemented with the coming into effect of the Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation Between the SCO Member States.