Meeting of SCO defense ministers held in Beijing

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The 15th Defense Ministers' Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States was held in Beijing on Tuesday.

Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe presided over the meeting.

The topic for the summit is building a community with a shared future for mankind while seeking development through innovation and cooperation, as Wei pointed out during his speech. Chinese President Xi Jinping, along with leaders from other countries, put cooperation in security as the top priority, which has in turn made the SCO an important force for maintaining world peace and stability.

Wei also noted that the term "community with a shared future" stressed equality, cooperation and responsibility, which is what President Xi proposed once again during April's Boao Forum for Asia. The "Shanghai sprit" should be well-preserved, while strengthening communication in areas such as high-level exchanges, military drills, and education sessions, among others.

CGTN Photo

Wei stressed that the importance of making sure all member countries stay on the same page in terms of cracking down on terrorists, and that all parties should work together to maintain regional and world peace and stability.

Defense ministers from the SCO member states participated in the event, and the defense minister of Belarus also attended as a special guest.

During the conference, defense leaders summed up the results of cooperation since the 2017 meeting, stressing that SCO countries should enhance cooperation in defense departments and armed forces to deal with the rising threats and challenges in international societies.

The Defense Ministers of SCO Countries Joint Communique was signed at the conference, while the defense minister from Uzbekistan signed a collaboration agreement between SCO country's defense ministries.

During the conference, Wei met with the leaders of defense departments and military leaders from SCO countries and exchanged views on matters of common concern.

CGTN Photo

After the conference, the leaders participated in the opening ceremony of the 5th "Horn of Peace" military music festival.

This is the first defense ministers’ meeting after the bloc was expanded last year to add India and Pakistan as full members.

During a group meeting with defense ministers from SCO member countries on Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China is willing to deepen pragmatic cooperation with other SCO members in defense and security so as to contribute to long-term regional stability and prosperity.

(CGTN's Le Tian also contributed to the story.)

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