Imran takes anti-graft message to SCO summit

[ahlam1399]

BISHKEK: Prime Minister Imran Khan has taken his anti-corruption message to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), where he urged cooperation on a framework against corruption and white- collar crimes among the member states.Addressing the 19th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State on Friday, he asked the organisation to take the lead in establishing a comprehensive framework for combating corruption and white collar crime to prevent the laundering of billions of dollars through offshore accounts.The anti-graft proposal was among an eight-pronged course of action the Prime Minister suggested for SCO states, where he also called for peaceful co-existence, regional trade, soft and infrastructure connectivity.The Prime Minister also suggested the reinforcement of the SCO’s vision of cooperation, rejecting confrontation and to advance the imperatives of peaceful co-existence at the regional and international levels.At the invitation of Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov, Khan attended the summit along with leaders from member countries including China, Russia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Moreover, the leaders from SCO observer countries including Afghanistan, Iran, Belarus and Mongolia also attended the event. Kyrgyz President Jeenbekov chaired the meeting held in both narrow and extended formats.In his address, Khan called for galvanising the “Shanghai Spirit” to strengthen SCO’s core mandate of mitigating the risks of conflict, fostering confidence and promoting stability. He emphasised the early finalisation of arrangements for trade in local currencies and the setting up of SCO Fund and SCO Development Bank to catalyse the trans-regional development agenda.He said the SCO states must synergise the various region-wide connectivity initiatives and work on complementing infrastructure connectivity with soft connectivity, including digital, cultural, touristic and academic.The Prime Minister also proposed the setting up of SCO Culture and Tourism Corridors, clustering multiple SCO destinations into a single package. He called for making the SCO more relevant to the daily lives of citizens by promoting food security and enhancing cooperation in health and humanitarian sectors.He also stressed the prioritising of women and youth empowerment by focusing on strengthening the Women Forum and the Youth Council and mandating them to promote gender mainstreaming, skills acquisition and jobs mobility.Khan also called for bridging the gap between region-specific research and policy by launching feasibility studies for creating SCO centres of excellence on poverty alleviation, de-radicalisation, connectivity, and new technologies.Terming the Kyrgyz republic as the pearl of SCO region for its natural beauty and rich traditions, the Prime Minister thanked the Kyrgyz leadership for gracious hospitality and congratulated the country for its excellent stewardship of SCO since the historic Qingdao Summit in China last year.He said as the Russian Federation takes the baton as next SCO chair, Pakistan was confident that organisation’s onward march would continue apace. He said though Pakistan was new to the SCO, it had historic ties with the nations and countries represented in the summit.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/com/cwEr/~4/GpkvKe1FWls

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