The President of Uzbekistan called for further development and strengthening of multilateral cooperation within the SCO

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On July 4, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, at the invitation of Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi, took part in the regular meeting of the Council of Heads of SCO member States, held in the format of a videoconference.

The event, chaired by the Indian side, was also attended by President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Zhaparov, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, as well as Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Zhang Ming and Ruslan Mirzaev, Director of the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure.

The summit was attended by President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ibrahim Raisi, President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaagiin and President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, as well as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and heads of international organizations.

In accordance with the agenda, an exchange of views on topical issues of regional and international topics took place, prospects for further expansion of multifaceted and mutually beneficial cooperation were discussed.

In his speech, the Head of Uzbekistan assessed the cardinal changes taking place in the system of international relations – the strengthening of geopolitical tensions and the escalation of conflicts, the emergence of new risks and threats to global stability and sustainable development, the growing challenges in the field of ecology, food and energy security.

"In this regard, there is an urgent need to establish a constructive and trusting dialogue," the leader of our country noted.

It was stressed that Uzbekistan takes a principled position on the central role of the United Nations in the settlement of disputes and conflicts, in the search and adoption of compromise solutions in order to ensure peace and stability.

Touching upon the SCO's activities, the President of Uzbekistan drew attention to the fact that the success of this organization is ensured by strict observance of its basic principles. This is a non-aligned status, a firm commitment to openness, equality and consensus-based decision-making.

– And most importantly, our cooperation is based on mutual respect and constructive perception of different interests, positions, views, cultural differences of the member states, - said the head of our state.

In order to further preserve and strengthen the leading role of the SCO as an effective international structure in addressing the most pressing issues on the regional agenda, it is proposed to conduct an inventory of the agreements and decisions adopted, audit the activities of institutions and mechanisms of cooperation, as well as accelerate the implementation of agreements on the modernization of the SCO. The necessity of implementing a joint research project on the prospects for the development of the organization within the framework of the SCO expert forum was pointed out.

Taking into account the agenda of the summit, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan put forward concrete proposals for further development of cooperation within the organization.

In particular, the leader of our country put forward an initiative to develop a multilateral political document – the Code of Good Neighborliness, Trust and Cross-border Partnership of the SCO.

"Its adoption will make it possible to identify priority tasks, develop common approaches and comprehensive measures to further deepen cooperation in the new conditions," Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

The Head of Uzbekistan stressed that the SCO states are leading in terms of industrial and innovative development, have a huge intellectual potential, the richest energy and agricultural resources.

"Today, the initiative to form a common space for increasing intra–regional trade and industrial and technological cooperation is more relevant than ever," the leader of Uzbekistan noted.

In this context, the President of our country proposed to adopt a program of a new SCO economic dialogue covering such areas as innovative development, digitalization and robotics, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and other industries of the future.

In order to promote projects in these areas, the head of state made a proposal to hold a Week of Innovative partnership of the regions of the SCO member states in Uzbekistan with the organization of a joint exhibition of high technologies.

Touching upon transport and communication issues, the President of Uzbekistan initiated the development of a Unified map of the transport interconnectedness of the SCO states.

"This will make it possible to identify bottlenecks and gaps, outline priority measures and projects for the formation of a common, integrated transport and transit system," he said.

Having supported the announcement of next year as the Year of Ecology in the SCO space, the leader of our country proposed to prepare a joint Action Plan for the promotion of regional environmental projects and the introduction of "green" technologies as part of the implementation of the "green belt" Program.

"We need closer coordination and practical cooperation on the SCO platform on adaptation to climate change, decarbonization through alternative, solar and wind energy, the development of "smart" agriculture and water conservation," the head of our state said.

The President of Uzbekistan expressed readiness to hold a scientific and practical conference on the development of the SCO tourism industry on the basis of the Silk Road International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage in Samarkand within the framework of the anniversary session of the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization in October 2023.

The Head of State separately highlighted the relevance of conducting a coordinated policy in order to fully disclose the rich cultural and humanitarian potential of the SCO. In this regard, it is proposed to introduce the practice of forming an annual Calendar of intensive cultural exchange and to prepare a program of events to expand youth exchange – "SCO is a space of creative ideas and initiatives of the future."

Highlighting the efforts to intensify the activities of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, the leader of our country called for the continuation of the practice of visiting meetings of the Council of the RATS, allowing this structure to increase competence in matters of rapid response to modern security threats.

Another important issue highlighted is the difficult situation in Afghanistan.

The President stressed that the states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which are Afghanistan's immediate neighbors, are most interested in finding a long-term political solution.

In this regard, it is proposed to resume joint work and consultations in the format of the SCO–Afghanistan Contact Group.

Following the event, the heads of the SCO member states signed the following documents:

- New Delhi Declaration of the Council of Heads of SCO Member States;

- The decision to approve the Strategy of Economic Development in the SCO region until 2030;

- The decision on the completion of the procedure for the admission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the SCO and granting it the status of a SCO member State;

- The decision to sign a Memorandum of Obligations of the Republic of Belarus in order to obtain the status of a SCO member state.

In addition, 10 documents were adopted aimed at further enhancing economic cooperation and digital transformation, ensuring regional security and expanding cultural and humanitarian ties. 

The chairmanship of the SCO has passed to the Republic of Kazakhstan.