SCO members will step up joint efforts to facilitate common development, regional security and people-to-people exchanges

The leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization adopted the Bishkek Declaration at their summit in Kyrgyzstan on Friday. The declaration affirms the commitment of the SCO member states to deepen their political, security, economic and cultural cooperation, and to uphold the principles of good-neighborliness and mutual benefit.

An important achievement of the summit was the framework to implement the Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation that the leaders approved. The treaty, inked by the SCO members in 2007, is of great significance, for it not only governs relations among SCO member states, it also creates a solid legal basis for the bloc's future development. The introduction of a framework to implement the treaty was essential for the SCO members to cement political mutual trust and conduct in-depth pragmatic cooperation.