Ahead of the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Heads of State Council in Tashkent, the Vice President of the German-Uzbek Friendship Society – director of the Political Affairs Bureau at the Spary Network Communication, Dr. Peter Spary, has shared his comments on the SCO’s role in the global system of international relations and evaluated the input being made by Uzbekistan into the activities of the association.
“Uzbekistan is our partner in Central Asia and is acting today as the chairman in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which seeks to preserve peace and security in the region.
Building on my rather long periods of observations of political reforms undertaken in your country, I can state with confidence that Uzbekistan has been fulfilling tasks related to securing stability in the entire region with great success. In these circumstances, the country’s leadership attaches a special significance to ensuring socioeconomic growth and well-being of the population, to the advancement of democratic society and liberalization of economy. All this is rather important in furthering the development of not only Central Asia, but also the regions adjacent to it. I would like to note with satisfaction that our partner has been progressing lately with swift rates. It is suggestive of the aptness of path of economic and political reforms chosen by it.
I am convinced that Uzbekistan’s proactive participation in the SCO and its rich expertise in providing for security in the region facilitate the elevation of effectiveness of the activities of the eminent organization that has secured a solid place in world politics.
Let me take this opportunity to wish the Uzbek people and the leadership of the nation prosperity and further progress.
A meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Heads of State Council started in Tashkent yesterday. President of China Xi Jinping, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbaev, President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambaev, President of Russia Vladimir Putin, President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon have arrived in Uzbekistan to take part in the SCO Tashkent Summit.
As Anvar Nasyrov, Deputy Minister of Uzbekistan’s Foreign Affairs, told journalists at a recent briefing, a total of 1,000 representatives of SCO participant nations, international organizations and media have come to participate in the session. The observer countries are represented by President of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of Mongolia Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran Mohammad Zarif. President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov will attend the summit as a guest of the presiding party.
The meeting will also be attended by Rashid Alimov, the Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and Evgeniy Sysoev, the Director of the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Antiterrorism Structure.
Nasyrov said that the summit participants are expected to discuss issues concerning the enhancement of multifaceted and mutually advantageous cooperation within the SCO framework and exchange views on pressing issues of regional and international affairs. Major document outlining the results of the Heads of State meeting will be the Tashkent Declaration of the 15th anniversary of the SCO, which will contain the assessment of the organization’s activities for a decade and a half, concerted approaches of member states to the prospects of development of the SCO, as well as the position on the current international and regional situation. The heads of state are also expected to approve the 2016-2020 Action Plan for the implementation of the SCO Development Strategy through to 2025, as well as a number of other documents aimed at boosting the SCO and bolstering cooperation between the participating countries.
The SCO summit is the concluding event of Uzbekistan’s chairmanship, within which the Uzbek side has undertaken considerable efforts to improve the activities of the organization, shore up cooperation in the political area, in the field of security, economy and humanitarian ties.
