By Ouyang Hao
BEIJING, Apr. 25 (ChinaMil) -- 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 General Wei Fenghe presided over the meeting and delivered a keynote speech.
Leaders of the defense ministries and militaries of SCO member states including Russia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as representatives of the SCO Secretariat and the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the SCO attended the meeting. The Belarusian Defense Minister attended the meeting as a special guest.
The topic for the summit was building a community with a shared future for mankind while seeking development through innovation and cooperation, as General Wei Fenghe pointed out during his speech. Chinese President Xi Jinping, along with leaders from other countries, has put cooperation in security as the top priority, which has in turn made the SCO an important force for maintaining world peace and stability.
General Wei Fenghe said that we must earnestly implement the consensus reached by the heads of various states and constantly improve the level of defense and security cooperation.
General Wei Fenghe also pointed out that building a community with a shared future for mankind is China's wisdom and plan that focuses on solving human development issues and improving the global governance environment.
President Xi proposed the idea of building a community with a shared future for mankind and make Asia and the world peaceful, tranquil, prosperous, open and beautiful once again during April's Boao Forum for Asia. This proposal is highly compatible with the concept behind the establishment of the SCO, General Wei Fenghe said.
As the largest comprehensive regional organization in the world today, we must establish the concept of a shared future for mankind and work hard to build shared security for all. The "Shanghai Sprit" should be well-preserved, while pragmatic cooperation is strengthened in areas such as high-level exchanges, joint military drills, and education, among others. Wei said that we need to establish a united front in the fight against terrorism and jointly safeguard peace in the region and the world.
During the conference, defense leaders summed up the results of cooperation since the 2017 meeting, stressing that the SCO countries should enhance cooperation between defense departments and armed forces to deal with 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 with other SCO country's defense ministries.
Medals of strengthening friendship and cooperation among SCO member states were awarded during the conference. Wei met with defense ministers of Pakistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and India to exchange views on deepening military exchange and cooperation, and they participated in the opening ceremony of the 5th "Fanfare for Peace" military music festival.
Before the conference, the defense ministers paid tribute and offered flower baskets at the Monument to the People's Heroes at the Tiananmen Square in Beijing.