Putin: SCO Increasing Its Role in Solving International Problems

SAMARKAND (Sputnik) - The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) today is the world's largest regional organization, it is increasing its role in solving international and regional problems, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday.

"Indeed, the SCO today is the world's largest regional organization," he said at the SCO summit.

More than half of the world's population lives in its member countries, about a quarter of global GDP is created there, a powerful intellectual and technological potential and a significant part of the world's natural resources are located there, Putin stressed.

"At the same time, the SCO does not stand still and continues to progressively develop, increase its role in solving international and regional problems, in maintaining peace, security and stability throughout the vast Eurasian space," he said.

Global politics and the economy have been seeing fundamental transformations, they are irreversible, Putin said.

"Fundamental transformations have been outlined in world politics and the economy, and they are irreversible," he said.

Putin noted "the growing role of new centers of power, interacting with each other not on the basis of some rules imposed from outside that no one has seen, but on the universally recognized principles of the supremacy of international law and the UN Charter, ensuring equal and indivisible security, respect for sovereignty, national values ​​and interests of each other".

Vladimir Putin said that he had informed UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres that Russia was ready to supply fertilizers to developing countries free of charge.

"The day before yesterday I also informed Mr. Guterres that 300,000 tonnes of Russian fertilizers have accumulated in the seaports of the European Union. We are ready to transfer them to developing countries free of charge," Putin said, speaking at an expanded meeting of the council of member states' leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Russia is in favor of Iran joining the SCO at the earliest possible, Putin said.

"Russia, of course, stands for the speedy completion of the process of entry into the SCO of Iran, which is the aim of the relevant documents signed today, the memorandum. We are convinced that Iran's full participation will have a positive impact on the work of the association, since this country plays an important role in the Eurasian region and in the world as a whole," Putin said at the SCO summit in Samarkand.

Russia also supports the accession of Belarus into the organization, the president added.

Russia welcomes the decision to lift sanctions on Russian fertilizers, but it turns out that only European countries, and not the poorest states, can buy them, Putin said.


"A vivid example of this selfishness is the decision of the European Commission to lift sanctions on Russian fertilizers. We know how important fertilizers are for solving the food problem. Of course, we welcome the decision to lift sanctions. But it turns out that these sanctions, in accordance with the explanation of the European Commission from September 10 this year, were lifted only for EU member states. It turns out that only they can purchase our fertilizers. But what about the developing, the world's poorest countries?" Putin said.

Speaking at an expanded meeting of the council of heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Putin expressed hope that the West would stop using protectionism, sanctions, and stop acting selfishly.

"Our policy is devoid of any selfishness, we hope that other participants in economic cooperation will build a policy on the same principles, stop using the tools of protectionism, illegal sanctions and economic selfishness for their own purposes," Putin said at an expanded meeting of the council of heads of states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

The SCO is open for cooperation with the whole world, the association is non-aligned, Putin said.

"As noted, including by the president of Kazakhstan, we are open to work with the whole world. Our association is of a non-aligned nature, we are assisting in solving the growing energy and food problems in the world, which we also talked about, arising from a number of systemic errors in the world's leading economies in the fields of finance and energy," Putin said.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit has been taking place on 15 and 16 September in Uzbekistan's city of Samarkand. The event has been attended by leaders of SCO member states, observer states and other invited guests.