Uzbekistan is in favor of the consistent expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said in his address at the SCO Summit in Tianjin, China today.
"The success of the SCO Model lies in its openness and focus on broad cooperation. We are ready to support the aspirations of countries that bond their future with the SCO," Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.
He also expressed confidence that expanding the number of SCO dialogue partners, including by including countries from other regions, would help transform the organization into a "cooperation platform with the countries of the Global South."
Expanding the SCO's influence in the international arena is important in the backdrop of the current global uncertainties, Shavkat Mirziyoyev stressed.
"A systemic crisis of trust, escalation of 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 are not just a valuable asset, but the key to maintaining peace in our vast region,” he said.
The President Mirziyoyev called it especially important that the SCO “remained a space of equal dialogue, mutual respect and partnership.” In his opinion, this is what “allows us to ensure a balance of interests and find answers together to the most difficult challenges of our time.”
Uzbekistan believes that “the voice of the SCO should sound even more convincing and firm as an expression of our common political will, as a call for decisive action in the name of a peaceful future and sustainable progress,” he added.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev named the priority tasks in the SCO transformation process as increasing its efficiency, strengthening and improving institutions and mechanisms for implementing decisions.
“Among the key priorities of the SCO is interaction in the field of security. Today, the need for coordinated approaches and new mechanisms of trust and security is growing,” the President of Uzbekistan continued.
It is time to adopt the SCO Declaration on Strengthening Multilateral Partnership for Nuclear Security, he urged. The document should become a "solid basis for the development of peaceful nuclear energy and emergency response."
Uzbekistan shares concerns about the "significant change in the nature of terrorism and extremism, the growth of cybercrime, the production and trafficking of synthetic drugs, and the strengthening of organized crime," the president noted. He proposed resuming the work of the Conference of Ministers of Internal Affairs and Public Security, revising the Agreement on Cooperation in Combating Crime, and developing a Program to Combat Drug Addiction until 2030.
Uzbekistan also supports the resumption of the work of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group. One of its main tasks, the president said, could be to develop proposals for the development of a constructive dialogue and support for socio-economic projects in Afghanistan.
Against the backdrop of the current trends in the global economy, Uzbekistan is in favor of forming a "sustainable model of economic cooperation in our vast region," Shavkat Mirziyoyev continued.
He called the signing of the Trade Facilitation Agreement an important task, which should give impetus to the growth of intraregional trade turnover in the SCO space.
The President Mirziyoyev emphasized the need to develop reliable production and logistics chains and stimulate mutual investment. To this end, Uzbekistan proposed creating a number of new multilateral platforms and instruments to support cooperation within the SCO: the SCO Regional Center for Critical Materials to introduce advanced technologies for the extraction and deep processing of minerals; the SCO Energy Consortium to implement a coordinated policy and accelerated development of "green" energy; a network of venture companies and funds to support and promote start-up and innovative projects.
"It is in the common interests of our countries to unleash the transport and transit potential along the North-South and East-West lines. Of particular relevance is 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," Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.
"We see great opportunities for coordinating efforts to create the "SCO Common Transport Space" and link it with the strategic initiative "Belt and Road". This involves creating new multimodal networks, digital platforms and "green" corridors," he noted. Another important priority is expanding partnership in the field of "green" transformation of the SCO. It is necessary to launch a Regional Platform on adaptation to climate change, decarbonization, and the introduction of artificial intelligence technologies to predict environmental risks, the president said.
He named the deepening of cultural ties and strengthening of the institute of "people's diplomacy" as the key factor of long-term partnership within the SCO. He also proposed working on the launch of a "Tourist Corridor" and the SCO Medical Tourism Alliance.
