04.07.2024

On July 4, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev participated in the SCO Plus meeting on the theme “Strengthening Multilateral Dialogue – Striving for Sustainable Peace and Development” held in Astana.

The event was attended by Leaders of observer States and dialogue partners, distinguished guests, UN Secretary General António Guterres and Heads of other international structures, in addition to Heads of delegations of SCO member States and Heads of its standing bodies.

In his speech, the Uzbek Leader stressed that the holding of the meeting in the broad format of SCO Plus is very timely and in demand.

- The world needs more than ever to restore trust, justice and solidarity, - said the President of our country.

Assessing current global processes, he pointed out that political and economic “breakdowns”, wars and conflicts undermine the foundations and core principles of the system of international relations.

- Contradictions and protectionism create fragmentation of the world economy and supply chain failures, build new dividing lines that prevent an effective interaction of countries in the field of trade, finance and investment, technology transfer and innovation, - said the President.

According to him, “the only way to solve these problems is to consolidate efforts in the interests of common security, development and prosperity”.

The President of Uzbekistan noted that the SCO has always been and continues to be in favor of a just world order based on the universally recognized principles of international law and multilateralism, with the central coordinating role of the UN.

At the same time, the emerging realities call for new strategic approaches to enhancing the effectiveness of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

- The time has come to work out a new agenda for the SCO that would correspond to the huge potential and increasing role of our Organization in world politics and economy, - said the President.

The Head of State proposed a new look at the conceptual framework of the SCO’s activities in the field of security, since the nature and scope of modern challenges have changed significantly since the organization was established.

He drew attention to the need to consider these factors when considering the strengthening of the SCO’s capacity, including the establishment of the Universal Centre to Counter Threats and Challenges to Security.

The Head of Uzbekistan took the initiative to hold an annual “SCO Plus Dialogue on Security Issues” with the participation of the Heads of competent authorities and experts.

The President of our country pointed to the importance of consistent “rebooting” of trade and economic cooperation in the SCO area, creating solid foundations for multilateral trade and cross-industry partnership.

It was emphasized that during the summit, the parties agreed to take comprehensive measures to simplify trade procedures and develop electronic commerce, to stimulate technological cooperation, including in the industries of the future.

In order to create an effective platform for business dialogue with the involvement of all partners, the Uzbek Leader proposed to hold an annual International Industrial Exhibition “SCO EXPO”.

The importance of active promotion of economic cooperation and search for opportunities for joint initiatives with the Economic Cooperation Organization, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the EAEU, ASEAN and others was noted.

It was emphasized that, in the current geopolitical realities, the formation of an inclusive and integrated transport and transit system to enhance interregional connectivity is of particular importance.

As the President of Uzbekistan said, in the context of increasing environmental problems, climate cooperation should be an essential element of the new SCO agenda. In this regard, he advocated the development of an Agreement on cooperation in combating climate change, with concrete measures to achieve the common goals and objectives of “green” development.

In addition, it was proposed to establish the SCO Centre for Innovative Climate Solutions in Tashkent, which would conduct research in the field of environmental sustainability and “green” growth.

The central place in the agenda of the Organization should be given to improving the quality of life of the population and social protection, said the Head of State. In this context, he said that next year in Samarkand, under the auspices of the UN, the Global Conference on Resilient Social Protection is planned as a contribution to the goals of the UN Summit of the Future.

The Leader of our country called to strengthen and promote a unique model of inter-civilizational dialogue together. According to him, “the rich cultural, historical and spiritual heritage, traditions, customs and way of life of our peoples is a powerful, life-affirming force that serves to strengthen bridges of mutual trust, good-neighborliness and lasting friendship”.

It was noted that this message is contained in the recent resolution of the UN General Assembly “International Day for Dialogue among Civilizations”.

In this context, the relevance of Uzbekistan’s Samarkand Solidarity Initiative for Common Security and Prosperity was once again emphasized, the practical implementation of which will contribute to strengthening the dialogue between civilizations in order to overcome the contradictions in the path of sustainable development.

Attention was also paid to the implementation of programs in the sphere of cultural, educational, youth and tourist exchanges. In particular, it was proposed to develop a Single Bank of Humanitarian Initiatives and Programs of the SCO, which would allow the systematization and joint implementation of projects in these areas.

At the end of his speech, the Head of our State expressed confidence that the results of the current SCO Plus meeting will give a strong impetus to the development of multifaceted partnership within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.