The President of Uzbekistan outlined priorities for deepening multilateral cooperation within the SCO

The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in the regular meeting of the Council of Heads of SCO member states on September 1, held in the city Tianjin.

The event, chaired by the President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping, was also attended by the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, the Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, the Prime Minister of the Islamic of the Republic of Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, as well as SCO Secretary General Nurlan Ermekbayev and Director of the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure of the organization Ularbek Sharsheev.

In accordance with the agenda, prospects for further deepening multilateral cooperation within the SCO and improving the activities of the organization were discussed, an open exchange took place opinions on current issues of the regional and international agenda.

Giving the floor to the head of our state, Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulated President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and the people of Uzbekistan on Independence Day. He especially emphasized that under the leadership of the President, Uzbekistan is developing at a high pace, the life of the people has improved and the Chinese side sincerely rejoices at these successes.

Welcoming the participants of the meeting, the head of Uzbekistan highly appreciated China's chairmanship in the SCO and congratulated those present on the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory in World War II, and also thanked the heads of delegations of the SCO member states for their warm congratulations and sincere wishes on the occasion of the Independence Day of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The leader of our country emphasized that the current summit is taking place in conditions of global uncertainty.

A systemic crisis of trust, escalating conflicts, weakening of multilateral institutions and fragmentation of the global trading system undermine the foundations of the international architecture of security and stability.

– In such conditions, mutual understanding and solidarity of the SCO states is not just valuable heritage, and the key to maintaining peace in our vast region,” the leader of Uzbekistan noted.

In order to further deepen multilateral cooperation within the SCO, the head of Uzbekistan drew attention to the following.

First of all, the importance of increasing the efficiency of the organization, improving its institutions and mechanisms for implementing decisions was emphasized. Confidence was expressed that the process of transformation of the organization, launched at the Samarkand summit, will contribute to solving these problems.

The head of state spoke in favor of the consistent expansion of the SCO, the inclusion of new states among its partners, including at the expense of countries from other regions, which will help transform the organization into a platform for cooperation with the states of the Global South.

Among the key priorities of the SCO is interaction in the field security.

– Today there is an increasing need for coordinated approaches and new mechanisms of trust and security, the President of Uzbekistan emphasized.

In this context, the head of Uzbekistan called for the adoption of the SCO Declaration on strengthening multilateral partnerships in the name of nuclear security, which will become a solid basis for the development of peaceful nuclear energy and emergency response, as well as an important contribution to the global regime non-proliferation under the auspices of the United Nations.

To effectively counter cross-border threats, it was proposed to resume the work of the Meeting of Ministers of Internal Affairs and Public Security, revise the provisions of the Agreement on Cooperation in the Fight against Crime, and also develop a Program to Combat Drug Addiction until 2030.

The Leader of Uzbekistan supported the resumption of the work of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group, one of the main tasks which could be the development of proposals for the development of a constructive dialogue and support for socio-economic projects in Afghanistan.

Against the background of current trends in the world economy, priority is given to the expansion of trade and economic cooperation.

– We stand for the formation of a sustainable model of economic cooperation in our vast region, said the head of our state.

In this context, noted the importance of signing the Trade Facilitation Agreement and the speedy implementation of effective instruments for financial support of regional industrial and infrastructure projects.

In order to develop reliable production and logistics chains and stimulate mutual investments, it is proposed to create within the SCO a number of new multilateral platforms and instruments for supporting cooperation, such as the Regional Center for Critical Materials, the Energy Consortium, a Network of venture companies and funds to support start-ups and innovative projects, A special electronic portal for establishing business contacts and promoting investments, with the involvement of regions.

The head of our state paid special attention to the unlocking of transport and transit potential along the North-South and East-West lines, the development of corridors in the southern direction running through Central Asia, with access to the ports of the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean.

The great opportunities for coordinating efforts to form the “SCO Common Transport Space” and its connection with the Belt and Road strategic initiative. It was proposed to develop a concept providing for the creation of new multimodal networks, digital platforms and “green” corridors.

In the context of expanding partnership in the field of “green” transformation of the SCO, the need to launch a Regional Platform on adaptation to climate change, decarbonization, and the introduction of artificial intelligence technologies for forecasting environmental risks was noted.

– A key factor in long-term partnership within the SCO is further deepening cultural ties and strengthening the institution of “public diplomacy,” the President of Uzbekistan emphasized.

According to him, a powerful impetus for the development of humanitarian exchange and even greater rapprochement of our peoples could be given by the holding of the International Festival of Folk Art, the creation of an online campus of the SCO University partner network, the organization of annual competitions

and Olympiads among students and young specialists in innovative areas.

It was also proposed to work on such promising projects as the launch of the “Tourist Corridor” and the SCO Medical Tourism Alliance.

In conclusion, the head of our state congratulated the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov on accepting the chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed gratitude to the head of our state for the important initiatives put forward in his speech and emphasized the importance of their joint implementation.

Based on the results meeting, a document signing ceremony took place. In particular, the Tianjin Declaration, the SCO Development Strategy until 2035, as well as a package of important multilateral documents aimed at further strengthening partnerships in various areas of interaction were adopted.

Official website of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan