– Undoubtedly, the twenty-second meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which will be held on September 15-16 in Samarkand, is the most important political event not only of the week, but of the whole year, Mr. Asadov said. – It will be attended by the heads of state and governments of 8 participating countries – Uzbekistan, Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, 3 observer countries – Belarus, Iran, Mongolia and 4 invited countries – Turkey, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Armenia.
At the same time, the leaders of such international and regional organizations as the ESCAP, UNESCO, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Eurasian Economic Union, the Economic Cooperation Organization, the League of Arab States, Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia.
A meeting of the leaders of the member states of the Organization will take place in a contracted format, then an expanded meeting will be held with the participation of all delegations. At the same time, bilateral meetings are planned to be held within the framework of the summit.
It was noted that cooperation within the framework of this Organization is one of the priorities of the foreign policy of Uzbekistan. Over the past five years, at the SCO summits, the President of Uzbekistan has put forward 54 initiatives to improve the effectiveness of interaction in political, trade, economic, transport and logistics, innovation and other areas. 33 of them have been implemented, 17 more are planned to be implemented during the Samarkand Summit. The remaining 4 are developed jointly with the member countries of the Organization.
During Uzbekistan’s chairmanship in the SCO in 2021-2022, more than 80 events were successfully held in all areas of cooperation. It is planned to submit more than 30 documents for signing at the summit. One of the main goals of the upcoming summit is to further expand the SCO family. It is expected that a memorandum on the obligations of the Islamic Republic of Iran to obtain the status of an SCO member state will be signed within the framework of the Council of Heads of State.
One of the important documents that are planned to be adopted at the event is the Comprehensive Plan to implement the SCO Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization for 2023-2027. This strategically important document was developed on the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and received the support of all SCO member states. In addition, a decision will be made to expand the composition of observers and partners in the SCO dialogue.
The main document of the summit will become the Samarkand Declaration, which will reflect the positions of the participating countries on the most important regional and global issues. It defines joint approaches to ensuring regional stability, security and sustainable economic development, strengthening transport links, as well as deepening cultural dialogue. Within the framework of the summit, it is also planned to sign memorandums of understanding between the SCO and the League of Arab States, ESCAP and UNESCO.
According to Mr. Asadov, within the framework of the summit, the President of Uzbekistan will hold bilateral meetings with the heads of several delegations, and exchange views on the state and prospects of cooperation.
At the invitation of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Uzbekistan on 14-16 September. According to the program of the visit, high-level bilateral talks will be held in Samarkand.
The leaders of Uzbekistan and China will also exchange views on the current issues on the international and regional agenda. Following the meeting, it is planned to sign a Joint Statement and several important agreements.
At the invitation of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin will visit Uzbekistan on 15-16 September within the framework of the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Samarkand.
At the invitation of the President of Uzbekistan, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ebrahim Raisi will pay an official visit to Uzbekistan on 14-16 September.
It was also noted that an article by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev “The SCO Samarkand Summit: Dialogue and Cooperation in an Interconnected World” was published today in local and foreign media, in which important ideas and initiatives are put forward.
G.Khasanov, UzA
