Statement by Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Igor Morgulov at the UN-SCO High-Level Event
Secretary-General Guterres,
Secretary-General Norov,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Regular meetings within the format of the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization have become a good and cherished tradition. They promote bilateral cooperation which is aimed at enhancing peace, security and stability and which has been steadily developing since the SCO was granted observer status with the UN in 2004.
This joint event is dedicated to the issue of merging of terrorism and organized crime, and financing of terrorist activities through revenues coming from drug trafficking. The urgency of this task is all the more clear because a significant part of the huge profits generated by the global drug trade is used to fuel terrorism.
Since its establishment in 2001, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has asserted itself as a universal inter-state association, with its activities covering all areas - politics, security, economy and humanitarian relations. Today, as it was previously said, the SCO is a reputable player in international relations, and a recognized and reliable partner. The SCO region, comprising 18 member States, observers and dialogue partners, is home to almost half of the global population, and produces about a quarter of the world's GDP.
The SCO region's powerful political, defense, economic, cultural and civilizational potential, and its impressive geographical expanse - from Southeast Asia to Europe - offer excellent prospects for further meaningful UN-SCO cooperation. This understanding, for instance, was confirmed at the September meeting of the UN Security Council chaired by Russia on the subject of cooperation between the UN and regional organizations which was attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov and UN Secretary General Mr. Guterres.
Colleagues!
SCO's activities are based on the strong commitment to the fundamental principles and norms of international law enshrined in the UN Charter. Joint efforts of the SCO Member States are aimed at establishing a global architecture for reliable security and sustainable development.
The active promotion of this approach is one of the priorities of our presidency in the SCO in 2019-2020 defined by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.
We pay particular attention to the further consolidation of SCO Member States within the UN and other international organizations. This event proves this. We believe it important to work on enhancing constructive political dialogue, addressing the issues of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and arms control, counter-terrorism and counter-extremism and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, as well as strengthening mutual trust and cooperation among peoples.
Over 90 events are expected to be held during the presidency, some of which have already taken place. For example, a meeting on the prevention of an anus race in outer space was held in Moscow in September, following which it was decided to draft a respective statement by the leaders of SCO Member States. The Russian proposal to jointly promote within the UN resolutions related to, inter alia, countering the use of information and telecommunication technologies for criminal purposes, was supported at the November consultations on international information security. Tomorrow, experts from SCO Member States will meet in Moscow to discuss cooperation in the field of biological security.
A key area of the SCO's activities is the effective response to the growing challenges and threats to security. This work is based on a substantial legal framework, the essential elements of which are targeted conventions, agreements, strategies and programs. A number of instruments – let me emphasize this – are open to accession by interested States, such as the Convention on Countering Extremism. We invite you to study them carefully.
The Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization established in Tashkent in 2002 is successfully operating. It ensures effective collaboration in the fight against terrorism and extremism, including coordination between Member States' competent authorities.
The growing symbiosis between terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking and transnational organized crime, as well as the importance of information security make elaborating a comprehensive approach towards addressing these issues a priority. In this regard, Russia proposed to streamline the existing cooperation mechanisms by reforming the Regional Anti- Terrorist Structure into a universal center to counter security challenges and threats to SCO Member States. This Russian initiative is now subject to vivid discussion at the SCO.
We attach particular importance to collaborating with the United Nations, first and foremost, the Counter-Terrorism Committee, and deepening ties with the Office on Drugs and Crime. Another practical step in this field is the meeting of the Working Group on Control of Precursors to be held under the Paris Pact in the coming days in Shanghai.
Situation in Afghanistan objectively continues to be the subject of particular attention of the SCO. We consider restoration of peace in this country a determining factor for strengthening the security in the entire SCO space.
The recent attack by the ISIL fighters on the border post in Tajikistan confirms once again that the terrorist threat in the region is real. We have to note that proceeds from drug trafficking remain a source of terrorist financing. Let me give you just one figure. As indicated in the report of the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (John F. Sopko), 6,400 tons of opium were produced in Afghanistan in 2018, with only 8 percent of this amount seized. These figures are quite illustrative.
Russia, like other SCO Member States, fully supports the Afghan people's commitment to peace and economic development. At our initiative, with the active assistance of all partners, the work of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group at the level of deputy foreign ministers has been resumed. We have convened 2 sessions and adopted a Road Map. The Road Map provides for joint actions with a view to develop cooperation in security, trade, economics and cultural and humanitarian ties.
A considerable support was provided to the promotion of the inclusive peace process held with the participation of the Afghans themselves in the interest of the political settlement with the coordinating role of the UN. In this context, special note should be taken of the meetings in the framework of the intra-Afghan dialogue which took place in Moscow in February and May 2019, as well as trilateral consultations of special representatives of Russia, China and the United States another round of which took place in Moscow in October with the involvement of Pakistan.
Dear colleagues!
The SCO consistently supports the improvement of the global governance architecture, strengthening of the international trade system based on the World Trade Organization rules, consistent implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and considers unilateral protectionist actions and sanctions unacceptable.
We believe that poverty eradication, creation of the conditions for decent life for the population are the determining factor in eliminating extremist ideas and hindering the spread of the terrorist ideology. That is why Russia, together with its partners, prioritizes the creation of the synergies between national strategies and multilateral integration projects. Through the systematic promotion of the Great Eurasian Partnership initiative we aim at establishing in Eurasia a wide space of open, mutually beneficial and equitable cooperation with the participation of the SCO countries, the Eurasian Economic Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and open for our colleagues from the European Union.
During the Presidency, we intend to promote cooperation both in traditional fields, such as trade, investment, industry, agriculture, transport, and energy, and new ones, such as high-tech, innovation, digitalization of the economy, including the development of remote and rural areas, and interregional ties. Concrete steps will be taken to implement the SCO Program for Multilateral Trade and Economic Cooperation in its new version approved in November 2019.
Of special importance is the development of cooperation on humanitarian issues. Particular attention is devoted to the implementation in the framework of the SCO Youth Council of the provisions of the Joint Appeal to the Youth by the Heads of the SCO Member States aimed to prevent young people from getting involved in extremist activities.
Commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Victory over Nazism in World War II is expected to become the biggest political event in the upcoming period. This will provide an opportunity to draw the attention of the world community, first and foremost of the young generation, to such concepts as careful preservation of the historical memory, non-admission of falsification of history, and countering extremist ideas and terrorist ideology. We believe that this serves the common interests of the humanity as a whole.
It is impossible to move forward without mutual understanding and collaborative efforts. We are committed to engaging in close, open and equal cooperation with all interested States and international organizations, particularly with the United Nations. We will stand ready to intensify the joint work in line with the 2010 UN-SCO Joint Declaration and other instruments signed between the SCO Secretariat and UN specialized agencies.
Thank you!
