It is wrong to compare NATO and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as they differ greatly in their goals, SCO Secretary General Nurlan Yermekbayev told Sputnik.
"First, it is difficult and probably wrong to compare NATO and the SCO, since they differ greatly in their goals and objectives, as well as in the nature of their activities," Yermekbayev said.
Yermekbayev added that NATO had been created as an element of confrontation between the post-war West on the one hand and the Soviet Union and its allies on the other.
"This is a military-political organization, and its analogue from the side of, let's say, the socialist bloc was the Warsaw Pact. And the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is not a product of the Cold War, it was not created in the conditions or for the purpose of confrontation with anyone. On the contrary, in 2001, when the SCO was created as an organization, it was created precisely with constructive, peaceful goals," the secretary general said.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization emphasizes the non-aligned and de-ideologized nature of its work, Yermekbayev said.
"We adhere to the principles of the ‘Shanghai spirit’ and emphasize the non-aligned, de-ideologized nature of our work. That is, we are for constructive, peaceful work and cooperation," he said.
The SCO is a responsible participant in international efforts to ensure peace and development, and it always proceeds from the non-targeting principle against other states and the principle of openness, the SCO head also said.
The secretary general noted that the organization operates on the basis of international law, including the UN Charter and the SCO Charter.
Meanwhile, international interest in joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is rising, Yermekbayev said.
"As for the SCO expansion, this is not a goal in itself, it is a natural process. There is a growing interest in the SCO from other states, they are making proposals either to join the work as partners or to upgrade their status from partners to observers," the official added.