DUSHANBE: Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) leaders yesterday agreed that attempts to solve a problem through use of force would never work, and instead it would hinder a comprehensive settlement.

A comprehensive solution to existing problems can only be found by considering the interests of all the parties and including them in the negotiation process, the leaders said.

A joint declaration at the end of the SCO summit in the Tajik capital said that attempts to strengthen a country's security at the expense of others' was not conducive to maintaining security and stability across the globe.