Pakistan joined 17 regional countries, launching media’s cooperation alliance to promote the spirit and objectives of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). 

The countries including the SCO’s full member states, observers and dialogue partners pledged to work jointly to promote peace, stability and economic prosperity in the region through media’s cooperation. 

The media’s alliance came into being at the first 1stSCO Media summit, organized by China Public Diplomacy Association, Beijing Municipal Information Office and Radio Beijing Corporation. 

Pakistan was represented at the conference by the senior official of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Shafqat Jalil and Pakistan’s ambassador to China Khalid Masood, besides some representatives of Pakistani media.

Shafqat Jalil assured the SCO’s states that Pakistani media will always be on forefront in promoting the cooperative partnership in achieving their common goals within the organization’s framework. He lauded the China’s leadership role in spreading the message of peace, tranquility and win-win cooperative partnership world over. 

In his message to the conference,President Xi Jinping called on media outlets to promote the “Shanghai Spirit”, expand practical cooperation and spread friendliness among the peoples within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Xi, who is also the general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee said the media are an important bridge for exchanges, cooperation and people-to-people connectivity among SCO countries.

In today’s world, where informatization is developing rapidly, the media play an increasingly significant role in connecting hearts and minds of people from different countries, he said, adding that he is confident the summit will play a positive role in building strength for the organization, he added.

The media’s conference, proposed by Xi in June last year at the SCO Astana summit in Kazakhstan, and with the theme “upholding Shanghai Spirit for a new era of media cooperation”, aimed to promote exchanges and cooperation in humanities. Government officials and representatives from more than 110 media outlets from SCO countries attended the summit.

The SCO countries should strengthen unity and coordination and contribute more “SCO wisdom and solutions” to long-term regional stability and prosperity, said Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, in the keynote speech at the opening session.

Huang asserted that in promoting the “Shanghai Spirit”, media outlets should build up the strength of shared future and cooperate to build a shared communication network.

He voiced the hope that media will proactively advocate a common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security perspective, keep close watch on the security situation and make the voice of peace and justice louder.

SCO Secretary-General Rashid Alimov said on the occasion that the “Shanghai Spirit” will be consistently carried forward in future cooperation within the SCO.

Over 20 cooperative agreements covering the fight against terrorism as well as such fields as economic partnership and environmental protection will be signed during the upcoming SCO Qingdao Summit, according to Alimov.

A series of cooperation agreements were signed between governments and media organizations of the SCO on the sidelines of the conference, including one between Independent News Pakistan (INP) and Radio Beijing Corporation. From INP’s side, the agreement was inked by its Chief Editor Syed Asif Salahuddin.

(Source: Independent News Pakistan )