Uzbekistan – SCO: new facets of multidisciplinary cooperation

In recent years, the authority and role of our country, which, under the leadership of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, implements a pragmatic and active foreign policy, has been growing not only in the region, but also in the world, and the country's positive influence on international processes is increasing. Of course, the active participation of the republic in the framework of multilateral cooperation institutions – international and regional organizations - plays an important role in this. In this sense, Uzbekistan's partnership with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is of particular importance.
Today, the SCO is the world's largest regional organization. The total territory of the SCO member countries exceeds 34 million km2, which is more than 60 percent of the territory of the Eurasian continent. The total population of the SCO countries is more than 3 billion people, which is almost half of the world's population.
The Organization unites eight permanent members, including China, Russia, India and Pakistan, which have the status of nuclear powers, four observer States and nine dialogue partners. 
The "Big SCO Family", numbering 21 countries, covers three continents – Asia, Europe and Africa. 
21 years ago, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan joined the SCO as founders and are actively participating in its work today, which indicates that this structure is extremely important for strengthening stability and cooperation in Central Asia.
It is expected that the Islamic Republic of Iran will soon become a full member of the Organization. In other words, the SCO opens doors to the Middle East, which is a strategically important region.
This trend requires that the foreign policy of Uzbekistan, as the founder and active member of the SCO, be in the center of constant attention. 
Moreover, our country currently chairs this prestigious organization.

Pragmatism, constructiveness and initiative

The new foreign policy strategy of Uzbekistan over the past five years has been vividly reflected in the activities of the SCO. Within the framework of the Organization, our country puts forward many relevant initiatives and proposals that contribute to improving its image in the international arena, corresponding to priority areas of socio-economic development, actively contributes to the enrichment of the existing agenda.
It can be said that the strategy implemented in the SCO space under the leadership of Shavkat Mirziyoyev is based on such basic principles as constructiveness, pragmatism and initiative.
Firstly, over the past five years, our country's attitude towards this Organization has changed in a constructive way. How does this manifest itself? 
First of all, official Tashkent is actively involved in the process of cooperation in all areas of the SCO. For example, until 2017, representatives of the republic did not fully participate in some of the Organization's security activities, in particular in joint military and anti-terrorist exercises, as well as some cultural and educational programs. And at present, the country not only influences the development of various spheres within the framework of the structure, but also fully supports the proposals put forward by other SCO member states that meet common topical interests.
It can be said that Uzbekistan actively contributes to the implementation of the principles of solidarity in accordance with the "Shanghai spirit", which is the foundation of the SCO's activities.
"The SCO is strong only when each of us is strong" – this statement by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan at the SCO summit in 2020 fully reveals the essence of our country's constructive approach to work within this structure.
Secondly, the pragmatism of our foreign policy, which is reflected in other multilateral diplomatic platforms, concerns our participation in the SCO. The initiatives put forward by official Tashkent reflect the national interests and priority directions of the country's development, fully correspond to the main tasks aimed at the sustainable development of the region. That is why these initiatives are widely supported by all Members of the Organization.
Recently, Uzbekistan has openly stated the need to direct the SCO's huge potential to the development of cooperation in such important areas from a practical point of view as transport, interconnectedness and logistics, innovative and digital development, cultural and people's diplomacy.
Thirdly, Uzbekistan has recently become one of the most proactive members of the SCO. This can be safely called the result of a strategy based on the constructivism and pragmatism mentioned above. In other words, the desire to strengthen the Organization's activities in important areas and enrich the agenda through new relevant areas is clearly reflected in the concrete and large-scale initiatives put forward by our country.
As the analysis shows, in 2017-2021, the head of our state put forward about 50 important and relevant initiatives at the SCO summits. This is a very high indicator. Most importantly, these proposals are consistently implemented in roadmaps, regulatory, programmatic and conceptual documents, as well as in the form of a new cooperation mechanism.

Uzbekistan – SCO: priority tasks of the Chairmanship

As noted above, the chairmanship of our country in this organization is a serious political process that places great responsibility on Uzbek diplomacy.
At the same time, the chairmanship will allow Uzbekistan not only to continue its growth strategy within the Organization, but also to enrich it with new and significant facets that will give concrete results.
A good example is the following tasks outlined in the program speech of the head of our state at the SCO summit held in Dushanbe on September 16-17, 2021:
• deepening trade, economic, investment and industrial cooperation, transport and communication interconnectedness;
• Establishing and expanding cooperation in key areas such as poverty reduction and food security;
• extensive use of the SCO's potential in the field of high technologies, innovations, cultural and humanitarian sphere, healthcare and combating climate change;
• Further expansion of the SCO's international relations and strengthening of its authority in the world.
At the summit in Dushanbe, it was announced that a number of new legal, conceptual and programmatic documents will be developed within the framework of Uzbekistan's chairmanship in the SCO. 
In particular, in order to further expand the multifaceted partnership within the SCO, a comprehensive program is being developed for the implementation of the Agreement on Long-term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation of the SCO member states for 2023-2027, a joint action plan for the development of intraregional trade. 
It is planned to complete the process of developing and agreeing on the SCO Concept of Interconnectedness in the Field of Transport. 
It is also planned to adopt a Program of infrastructural development in the SCO space, an Action program for cooperation of the leading medical centers of the SCO member states in the field of prevention of infectious diseases, a program of cooperation in the field of telemedicine, a Memorandum between the authorized bodies of the SCO member states on cooperation in the field of museums, an agreement on cooperation in the use of renewable energy sources between the member states.members of the SCO and a number of other important documents.
The adoption of these documents will undoubtedly be a worthy contribution to updating the SCO agenda, adapting its activities to changing challenges and realities. 
In total, more than 80 events of various levels are expected to be held under the chairmanship of Uzbekistan, during which a wide range of issues related to the further development of cooperation in all spheres will be considered.
The Uzbek side has already held more than 20 events in cooperation with the SCO member states. 
Two important proposals of the head of state aimed at expanding the SCO agenda through interaction on the most promising and topical issues have been implemented: in November 2021, for the first time, ministerial-level meetings on information and communication technologies were held within the Organization under the chairmanship of Uzbekistan, and on January 25 this year – on poverty reduction.
The participation of our state in this structure has always been distinguished by priority attention to economic cooperation. 
Of course, we will adhere to this approach during the SCO presidency.
 One of the relevant initiatives in this direction is the creation of the Uzbekistan–SCO industrial zone, which will allow implementing joint projects with SCO member states and foreign investors. This goal is also served by the events planned for this year, the Economic Forum, the Week of Industrial Innovations, the Forum of Small and Medium-sized Businesses of the SCO Regions, the Forum for the Development of Industrial Cooperation, the Tourism Forum, the Forum of the Heads of the SCO Regions.
At the suggestion of the President of our country, the SCO will host the first high-level meeting on Afghanistan, which will further strengthen the authority of our country in the regional and international arena.
As can be seen, the main events and documents to be adopted within the framework of Uzbekistan's chairmanship in the SCO are aimed at a broad demonstration and promotion of domestic and foreign policy, priority goals and objectives of the new Uzbekistan.
The main results of Uzbekistan's chairmanship in the SCO will be summed up at the summit scheduled for September this year in Samarkand. 
The Summit will undoubtedly become a major political and diplomatic forum and will go down in history as an important step towards the further evolution of the Organization.
Uzbekistan's active, open, pragmatic and constructive foreign policy will create a solid basis for making important decisions and documents within the framework of the upcoming summit.