BAN VOICES APPRECIATION FOR PARTNERSHIP WITH EURASIA AGAINST GLOBAL TERRORISM

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the cooperation between the United Nations and the intergovernmental group known as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in combating global terrorism and other challenges through strengthened dialogue with Eurasian countries.

"The Shanghai Cooperation Organization has become an essential forum for addressing security in Eurasia in all its dimensions – political, economic, military, and environmental," Mr. Ban told the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO, taking place in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

In a message delivered by Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe to the two-day gathering, Mr. Ban noted that the SCO's commitment to developing joint solutions to shared challenges is all the more significant today, as the world faces pressing, interconnected crises, such as food insecurity, climate change and the global financial and economic turmoil.

"We also continue to grapple with the menaces of terrorism, armed conflict and instability," noted the Secretary-General. "I am confident that the work of the SCO will further the collective efforts of the international community in responding to these threats – and in seizing common opportunities for trade, development and cultural exchange."

He added that through the UN Regional Centre for Central Asia, the world body can reinforce its cooperation with the SCO on preventive diplomacy.

"The series of meetings planned by the Regional Centre on implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia, culminating with a ministerial conference next year, could be an excellent vehicle for building our relationship," he said.

In addition, he said that the SCO's "observer status in the General Assembly offers an additional basis for intensifying our partnership."
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