ASTANA -- Members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) should consolidate unity and jointly oppose external interference in the face of the real challenges of interference and division, Chinese President Xi Jinping said here on Thursday.

Xi made the remarks when attending the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO.

The SCO members should firmly support each other, accommodate each other's concerns, handle internal differences with a spirit of harmony, and resolve cooperation difficulties by seeking common ground while reserving differences, and firmly grasp the destiny of our countries and the peace and development of the region in our own hands, he said.