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On June 15, 2023, Qingdao, China hosted the People's Diplomacy Forum of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the SCO Twin Cities Forum. These days, the Forum delegates and all SCO member countries celebrated the 22nd anniversary of the organization. The Forum was held at the venues of the SCO Summit, which was also held in Qingdao in 2018.
All Forum events were held at a very high level. It was the largest international event in China in the post-pandemic period. The Forum was attended by all the national centers of public diplomacy of the SCO countries. The Russian delegation was represented by the Director of the National Center for Public Diplomacy of the SCO in Russia, Deputy Secretary General of the Eurasian Peoples’ Assembly Stanislav Korolev:
“We are very pleased that after a long break we can personally meet on the sidelines of the Forum and discuss issues of coordinating the work of the national centers of public diplomacy of China, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia.
22 years ago, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization grew out of the need to resolve border territorial issues in the region. Now it is one of the most powerful and respected organizations in the world, which unites 26 states together with potential partners and is a model of international dialogue and cooperation.
The emergence of the SCO was due to the desire of countries to create sustainable mechanisms for interaction, a platform for constant political dialogue and regional economic cooperation.
The active expansion of the geography of the SCO members shows the success and effectiveness of the organization and its relevance in modern political conditions.”
At the People's Diplomacy Forum in Qingdao, a number of landmark agreements and memorandums were signed, including between the Chinese Committee for Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation and the Eurasian Peoples' Assembly, as well as between the SCO Center for People's Diplomacy in Uzbekistan and the National Center for People's Diplomacy in Russia.
In order to implement the important initiative of President Xi Jinping, the People's Diplomacy Forum and the SCO Sister Cities Forum organized the SCO China Committee for Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation, the Chinese People's Society for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the People's Government of Shandong Province jointly in the city of Qingdao (China).
Participants from SCO Member States, Observer States and Dialogue Partner Countries held in-depth discussions on "Strengthening the Shanghai Spirit of Promoting Friendly Cooperation" and reached broad consensus on issues such as public diplomacy, sister city cooperation, scientific and technical innovations, educational exchanges, poverty alleviation, etc.
The Forum agrees that the SCO countries have always upheld the "Shanghai Spirit", advocated dialogue among civilizations, strive for unity while maintaining differences, and insisted on achieving common development based on the principle of joint consultation, joint construction and sharing, created a new model of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit between large and small countries, gave impetus to the integration and development of the regional economy, and built a bridge of friendship for inclusiveness and mutual learning among different civilizations.
The Forum recognizes that people-to-people and city-to-city diplomacy has unique advantages in consolidating the SCO's popular forces, strengthening the friendship of peoples, strengthening ties between peoples, developing city-to-city ties, promoting mutually beneficial cooperation and building a closer community of common destiny for the SCO, and should play a greater role.
In order to consolidate the outcomes of the Forum, the following five initiatives were put forward:
- Strengthening contacts between peoples. Continuation of the SCO People's Diplomacy Forum, traditional medicine forum, women's forum, etc. as opportunities for further strengthening of cultural and humanitarian ties and cooperation between non-governmental organizations of the SCO countries and the continuous development of public diplomacy of the SCO.
- Strengthening cooperation between sister cities. Friendly exchanges between the local governments of the SCO countries and the establishment of sister relations with a large number of provinces, regions and cities, as well as the deepening of exchanges and cooperation between sister cities in economy, trade, science and technology, humanities and youth exchanges to carry out targeted contacts and sustainable development cooperation between twin cities to share development results and further enhance people's sense of satisfaction, happiness and identity.
- Strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation. Relying on the China-SCO Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation Pilot Zone platform, building systems for sharing information and exchanging data on entities such as governments, enterprises, parks, trade associations, to promote the joint action of regional and people's economic development in different countries and turn the potential for complementary advantage into a cooperative force for economic growth. Supporting the China-SCO Technology Transfer Center to carry out exchanges between local governments, cooperation between universities and mutual benefit between enterprises within the framework of a multilateral structure, as well as regularly holding a youth competition for innovation and entrepreneurship of the SCO member states and other scientific and technological innovation activities. Creation of a network of cooperation between the SCO countries in the field of scientific and technological innovations.
- Strengthening cultural and humanitarian ties. Holding an exhibition of children's drawings of the SCO, a summer camp for children and youth of the SCO, a sports and cultural festival for children and youth of the SCO countries. Charitable actions "International express "Bright Way". Using the role of mechanisms such as the SCO Hospital Cooperation Alliance, the Telemedicine Platform and Conference on the Development of Medical and Pharmaceutical Cooperation to Improve the Health and Well-Being of People. Encourage the establishment of friendly relations between universities, secondary and primary schools, support universities to strengthen joint training in mathematics, geodesy and cartography, mining and other fields, support schools and universities at all levels and educational institutions to carry out regular exchanges and jointly build a "Chinese - foreign cultural air corridor". With the help of the SCO international marathon, team chess tournament, the Far East Cup international sailing regatta and other humanitarian exchange events, strengthening mutual understanding and ties between people and forming a solid foundation of public opinion to create a community of common destiny for mankind.
- Strengthening exchanges of experience and cooperation in the field of poverty reduction. Support for conducting anti-poverty training courses, sharing experience in poverty reduction and combating poverty and measures aimed at rural revitalization, suggesting new ideas and useful peer learning to promote poverty reduction and socio-economic construction in the SCO countries, as well as assistance to the SCO countries in exploring ways and measures to reduce poverty and modernize rural development in order to strengthen the potential for poverty reduction and sustainable development.
The Forum calls on the parties to further strengthen the "Shanghai Spirit", continue to deepen friendship and mutual trust between sister cities, promote regional mutually beneficial cooperation, promote stable and long-term development of the SCO, jointly build a peaceful, stable, prosperous and beautiful “SCO Family” and together create a brighter future for Asia and Europe.