ALMA ATA, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The founding and development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is in conformity with the world trend for peace and development following the end of the Cold War, a Kazakh scholar told Xinhua in an interview ahead of the upcoming annual SCO summit in Shanghai.

    The group's founding proves that countries with different background and culture have great potentials to realize peaceful coexistence and conduct mutually beneficial cooperation through deepening mutual understanding and trust, said K. Khafizova, a China hand in the Kajnar University.

    She said the "Shanghai Spirit," which embodies mutual trust and benefit, equality, respect for cultural diversity and a desire for common development, has penetrated into the practice by every SCO member country.

    The spirit was the precious treasure accumulated in the process of cooperation among SCO members and should be enriched and carried forward, Khafizova said.

    Facing with new challenges and opportunities, the SCO proposes boosting mutual trust and good neighborliness among its member states, encourages effective cooperation in the political, trade, technological, cultural, educational, energy, environmental protection and other fields, she said.

    The SCO is dedicated to safeguarding regional peace, security and stability, pushing for the establishment of a new world political and economic order which is just, reasonable and democratic, and working for the well-being of all peoples in the region, she added.

    The SCO, established on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai, consists of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, with Pakistan, India, Iran, Mongolia as observers.

    The sixth SCO summit will be held in Shanghai on Thursday. Enditem