On September 1, at the anniversary meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Bishkek, dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the organization, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev put forward a number of significant initiatives.
The head of state proposed developing a conceptual vision 'SCO-2040: Space of Common Development'. According to him, the main goal should be to form an interconnected and sustainable space where investments, technologies, and knowledge exchange develop freely, large infrastructure and industrial projects are implemented, and direct ties between regions, businesses, and people expand.
Another initiative was the SCO Industrial Cooperation Map. It should unite special economic zones, production processes, sales markets, and logistics in a single digital system for businesses, investors, and government structures.
Uzbekistan also proposed that the SCO Council of Heads of Government begin selecting a portfolio of projects in transport, energy, industrial cooperation, and digital infrastructure, with subsequent implementation upon the practical launch of the SCO Development Bank.
A separate block of proposals concerns artificial intelligence. Mirziyoyev supported the initiative of Chinese President Xi Jinping to create a World Organization for Cooperation in AI and proposed establishing SCO partnership with this organization. Additionally, the president advocated for creating an Open Multilingual Data Corpus of the SCO and declared Uzbekistan's readiness to host an SCO Forum on Artificial Intelligence and New Digital Solutions.
Against the backdrop of climate challenges, the head of Uzbekistan proposed forming a unified SCO agenda on food, water, and energy security. To implement it, a special mechanism is proposed to coordinate comprehensive programs, technology exchange, and advanced knowledge. In this area, it was also proposed to develop an SCO Technological Cooperation Program on Water and Energy Efficiency until 2035.
For further development of transport corridors, Mirziyoyev proposed establishing a Council for Integration of Railway Spaces of SCO Member States.
A separate proposal concerns Afghanistan. The President of Uzbekistan called maintaining peace and stability in that country a fundamental condition for regional security and development and advocated resuming regular SCO dialogue with Afghan representatives.
Mirziyoyev also noted the significance of adopting the regulation on the Universal Center for Countering Challenges and Security Threats in Tashkent, which, in his assessment, should become a new stage of SCO institutional development.
In the humanitarian sphere, Uzbekistan proposed preparing a Cooperation Program for the Preservation and Promotion of Traditional Art and Intangible Cultural Heritage for 2028-2030.
Following the meeting, the Bishkek Declaration, a protocol on amendments to the SCO Charter, and a number of other documents were signed.
Source: podrobno.uz