The summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, on Friday is a chance for the heads of member states to deepen the pragmatic cooperation between the six countries, and to discuss how to rise to the various challenges and threats the region faces today.

With the summit being held against the backdrop of persistent turmoil in west Asia and north Africa and new complexities in Afghanistan, all of which pose challenges to regional security and stability, the rest of the world is keen to know whether the bloc's blueprint for the next decade will help it play an even bigger role in building lasting peace and common prosperity in the region and beyond.

Fostering a stable and secure environment for common development was and will continue to be the primary objective of the regional group, and this has been cemented with the coming into effect of the Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation Between the SCO Member States.

The bloc has emerged as an indispensable and ever more significant force in maintaining regional peace and stability over the past decade, as the SCO member states have forged a close community of shared interests and common development.

President Xi Jinping will be participating in his first SCO summit and will join the leaders of the other member states in endorsing a mid-term cooperation outline, which will provide strategic guidance to intra-group cooperation in a wide range of fields.

Discussions on the establishment of an SCO bank and more collaboration on cracking down on terrorism and drug-related crimes in the region are also likely to be on the agenda.

Over the years, the bloc has made strenuous efforts to combat terrorism and safeguard social stability in the region, conducting regular anti-terror drills and exchanging information on anti-terrorism. But the terrorist attacks in China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in recent years and their proven links with outside terrorist groups show greater efforts are needed to fight the "three evil forces" of terrorism, extremism and separatism with greater solidarity and effectiveness.

To reinforce the SCO's role as guardian of regional peace and stability, the Bishkek summit should demonstrate that the members of the 12-year-old bloc will continue to firmly support each other's development as well as their efforts to safeguard national security.

(China Daily 09/13/2013 page8)