Tashkent hosted the 19th session of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Forum on “The role of the SCO in new conditions: joining forces in the name of universal security, stability and prosperity”.

The forum, chaired by the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, was attended by more than 40 experts from national research centers of member states, observers, and dialogue partners of the SCO, as well as the leadership of the SCO Secretariat and the SCO RATS Executive Committee.

Opening the event, the Director of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Eldor Aripov, highly appreciated the activities of the SCO. It was noted that in just over twenty years, the structure has gone through a significant path of formation and development, becoming an integral element of the modern system of international relations.

“Today the SCO family is the world’s largest regional organization, which has united a huge geographical space and about half of the population of our planet”, Mr. Aripov emphasized. “At the same time, the number of states ready to join the activities of the SCO is growing every year. And this is not surprising – the international community sees the SCO as a pole of attraction without dividing lines, capable of actively promoting a safer and more prosperous world”.

SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming opened the forum with a welcoming speech, focusing on the organization’s achievements.

“At the upcoming summit in Astana next month, a decision will be made on Belarus’s accession to the SCO, and thus the number of member states will reach a historic double-digit breakthrough”, Zhang Ming said. “The achieved results are convincing proof that the “Shanghai Spirit” corresponds to common interests, the original goal of the organization to maintain security and stability and ensure sustainable development, and SCO cooperation will only strengthen”.

The agenda of the current session included three main sessions: priority areas of cooperation within the SCO, comprehensive implementation of untapped opportunities, increasing the effectiveness of the SCO at the present stage of development, and further prospects for improving the activities of the SCO Forum.

Following the event, the Forum Protocol was signed.

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Gayrat Khonnazarov, UzA