The Summit of the Heads of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states was held on 15th & 16th September 2022, in Samarkand, which became a platform for discussing the state and prospects for the development of cooperation in the SCO’s sought-after areas and areas of activity
The prestigious Summit brought together the leaders of all members of the association, as well as the heads of the Secretariat and various structures of the Organization (TURKSOY, TURKPA, the International Turkic Academy, the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation). Uzbekistan, as the chairman of the OTS, has fully intended to make serious efforts to implement such important documents as the Turkic world vision – 2040 and the Strategy of the Organization of Turkic States for 2022-2026.
These measures stimulate the emergence of new cooperation initiatives, trans-regional projects, as well as opportunities for socio-economic growth for the inhabitants of the countries of the region.
The SCO’s Samarkand Summit unlike other summits in the world has become a venue where practical solutions are found to problems, and this can be seen in the initiatives and ideas put forward in it. Uzbekistan, which took over the chairmanship of the SCO on 17 September 2021, had the opportunity to fulfill its historical mission of achieving its all goals in a timely manner and efficiently, and solid foundations were created for ensuring security, taking multifaceted cooperation to a new level in terms of quality and for sustainable development.
Also notable during the Samarkand summit, was that the OTS countries actually began to improve the activities of the organization, expand and strengthen the conceptual and practical foundations of the existing architecture of cooperation within the framework of the association, as well as establish more systematic cooperation in priority areas.
This was confirmed by the adoption by the leaders of the OTS countries of the Organization of Turkic States Strategy for 2022-2026 and the Samarkand Declaration, as well as more than 10 documents on further strengthening multilateral cooperation and reforming the activities of an international structure with a new integration agenda. At a time when complex situations are observed in the world, the spirit of diplomacy is changing and the space and opportunities for constructive dialogue are shrinking, the SCO is emerging as an efficient and practical mechanism for cooperation, which is free from political games and avoids conflicts. Under the chairmanship of Uzbekistan, the SCO has transformed into multifaceted organisation of cooperation, mutual trust and free dialogue, rediscovering its potential. At the same time, the open and constructive diplomacy of New Uzbekistan, which has become unprecedentedly active in recent years, has been able to demonstrate its capabilities on a wide regional scale.
The major conference, which was held in the form of a dialogue was attended by the leaders of 14 countries, high-ranking representatives of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt as well as the heads of international and regional organisations. The Samarkand Summit was unprecedented in expanding the number of SCO partner states. Thus, Iran has become a full member of the SCO, and Egypt and Qatar have been granted the status of dialogue partners. Decisions were also made to initiate procedures to grant Belarus the status of a full member of the SCO, and Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, the Maldives, the United Arab Emirates and the Republic of the Union of Myanmar the status of dialogue partners. The President of Uzbekistan also held meetings with the UN Deputy Secretary General, with the Heads of State of Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus.
The main emphasis during the chairmanship of Uzbekistan was placed on strengthening economic and trade ties, promoting industrial cooperation, expanding transport and communication interconnectedness, digital transformation and the “green” economy. During the chairmanship, drafts of 14 new conceptual documents initiated by the President of Uzbekistan were developed. Special attention has been paid to such initiatives as the Concept of the SCO member States on the Development of Interconnectedness and the Creation of Efficient Transport Corridors, the Program of Infrastructure Development of the SCO countries, the establishment of the institute of the SCO Goodwill Ambassador.
