WTA Attends the Farewell Reception of SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov

On December 17, 2021, Vladimir Norov, Secretary-General of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), held his farewell reception in Beijing, saying farewells to his friends from SCO member states as well as all circles of life. Vladimir Norov gave a welcome speech, and Li Hui, Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs, attended and addressed the occasion. Liu Shijun, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Alliance (WTA) attended the reception upon invitation.

WTA Secretary-General Liu Shijun (first from left) with SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov (middle) and Mrs. Norov (first from right)

Since he took office as the SCO Secretary-General in 2019, Vladimir Norov has been proactively practicing the “Shanghai Spirit” and strongly voicing SCO opinions. He has made substantive contributions to SCO development, and thus secured widespread acknowledgement and compliment. During his speech, Mr. Norov noted that, he felt honored to serve as the leader of an international organization, which offered him the chance to know about China’s rich culture and tradition, befriend with many talented people, and gain the valuable experience of working with a transnational team. As a confusion of different standards, skills and traditions, this experience composes one of the most splendid parts of the diplomatic life of himself and his team members.

SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov delivers a speech on site.

Li Hui remarked that, without the joint efforts and wholehearted contribution of the SCO family, the significant results of the SCO would be impossible. During his term, Mr. Norov has been dedicated to his works, well played the role of coordination, promoted cooperation in a wide range of areas including politics, security, trade and economics, and vigorously advocated for joint efforts in pandemic containment. Also, he worked to widely spread the SCO’s concept of cooperation and take active steps for external cooperation. The Chinese government thinks highly of the work of Mr. Norov and all Secretariat members.

Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs Li Hui delivers a speech on site.

SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov awarded medals to the ambassadors and diplomats from SCO member states, observer states and dialogue partners for their great contribution to the development of SCO.

Farewell reception of SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov

The WTA shares a friendly relationship with the SCO Secretariat. As of date, the WTA has 12 SCO member states, observer states and dialogue partners. During the reception, WTA Secretary-General Liu Shijun talked extensively with Mr. Norov and presented him a souvenir from WTA. The WTA stands willing to work with the SCO Secretariat to keep a close eye on tourism development as pandemic containment normalizes, and make important contribution to the recovery of global tourism, Mr. Liu said.

WTA Secretary-General Liu Shijun (first from left) presented a souvenir to SCO Secretary-General Vladimir Norov (second from right) and Mrs. Norov (first from right)

Fan Ruiqing, Deputy Director of WTA Division of Service and Management, and Project Officer Xia Shuang also attended the reception.