The President of Uzbekistan noted the importance of the SCO Plus meetings for expanding multifaceted partnership

On September 1 in Tianjin, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in a meeting of the “SCO plus” format on the topic “Implementing multilateralism, ensuring regional security and promoting sustainable development."

The event, along with the heads of delegations of the SCO member states and heads of its permanent bodies, included leaders of observer countries and partners, honored guests, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and heads of other international structures.

In his speech, the head of Uzbekistan emphasized that the SCO format plus", which is fully consistent with the spirit of openness and multilateralism, is becoming an increasingly popular platform for confidential dialogue.

The symbolism of holding the current summit in the year of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II - the greatest tragedy of the 20th century was noted.

Expressing concern about the ongoing trend towards confrontation, the leader of Uzbekistan called for an end conflicts, restoration of trust, peaceful coexistence and respect for international law. In this context, he supported the Global Governance Initiative put forward by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Noting another escalation of the situation and the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, the President of Uzbekistan said that only a fair settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli issue based on the principle of “two states for two peoples” can be the key to resolving the conflict in the Middle East.

Pointing to the huge potential of partnership and practical interaction within the SCO, the head of state focused on the current tasks of developing multilateral cooperation.

First of all, the importance of strengthening collective efforts to ensure stability and prosperity of the SCO countries was emphasized, which is especially important in the context of the emergence of new challenges and threats, such as climate change, shortages of energy and food resources, migration crises, cyber attacks and others.

The President welcomed the launch of the Universal Center for Countering Threats and Security Challenges based on the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure in Tashkent, as well as the Anti-Drug Center in Dushanbe. It is proposed to hold the first SCO+ Dialogue on security issues in our country next year.

– Ensuring stability in the region is impossible without taking into account the development of the situation in Afghanistan and establishing a constructive dialogue between the international community and the Afghan authorities,” said the leader of Uzbekistan.

In this regard, the need to develop pragmatic approaches to cooperation with this country and its involvement in SCO projects.

As a priority task, the head of state outlined a radical expansion of trade, economic and investment cooperation within the SCO.

The importance of consolidating efforts to remove barriers and bring standards together, develop e-commerce platforms, stimulate industrial cooperation and innovation was noted.

In order to launch an effective platform for business dialogue, the annual holding of the SCO INVEST investment forum has been initiated with the organization of its first meeting next year in Uzbekistan.

In the context of regional transport integration and interconnectedness, the creation of effective transport routes that ensure a reliable connection of the region with global ones is indicated for Central Asia corridors.

The construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway and its connection in the future with the Trans-Afghan corridor will contribute to the formation of a unified transport network in the SCO space.

The leader of our country also spoke for the active promotion of partnership in the fields of science, technology and innovation.

– The SCO countries have colossal scientific and technical potential, which is capable of providing a breakthrough in such advanced areas as artificial intelligence, big data, robotics, bioengineering, alternative energy, the President noted.

As a practical step, the creation of a Network of SCO innovation and technology hubs has been proposed to generate new ideas and develop advanced solutions.

In order to expand cooperation in the cultural and humanitarian sphere, the head of Uzbekistan took the initiative to establish the Cultural Dialogue of the Great Silk Road, designed to promote cultural diversity and the values of the “SCO family.” Invited the delegations of the countries present to take an active part in the upcoming events of the UNESCO General Conference in Samarkand.

At the end of his speech, the head of our state expressed confidence that the fruitful results of the current summit in the SCO plus format will serve to further ensure stability, expand multifaceted partnerships and sustainable development of all countries.

Official website of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan