The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is seeking new forms of cooperation, in order that "our cooperation will generate the most positive impacts on the livelihood of the 3 billion people in the world who are covered by the SCO," Russian President Vladimir Putin said in Moscow Saturday.

In an exclusive interview with Xinhua prior to his visit to China on March 21-22, Putin said the SCO has truly become an organization of regional integration, with regional cooperation in economic and social fields being steadily strengthened.

"The SCO will celebrate its fifth anniversary on June 15 ... The SCO doesn't have a long history, but its members have not only completed the tasks set at the founding of the organization, but also surpassed the initial goals," he said.

Apart from the organization's founding members of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, the SCO has also taken economically and socially important countries like India, Iran, Pakistan and Mongolia as observers, the president said.

The organization continues to work toward safeguarding regional stability and security, combating separatism, extremism and terrorism, he said.

The SCO summit scheduled for June in Shanghai will not only reemphasize the founding principles of the group, but also carry forward the spirit to demonstrate the member states' willingness to mapping out new ways of international cooperation, he said.

Source: Xinhua