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Uzbekistan's Samarkand to host Shanghai Cooperation Organization's Summit

Politics Materials 15 September 2022 16:03 (UTC +04:00)
Uzbekistan's Samarkand to host Shanghai Cooperation Organization's Summit

BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 15. Uzbekistan's Samarkand city will host the 22nd Summit of the Heads of State Council of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on September 15-16, Trend reports.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev will also participate in the Summit. The SCO member states include some of the largest and most populous countries in the world. Azerbaijan's attendance to the SCO Summit testifies to the country's international prestige and high regard for its leader.

The SCO is an intergovernmental organization founded in Shanghai on June 15, 2001 by the leaders of Russia, People's Republic of China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. The current secretary-general of the organization is Zhang Ming.

At present, eight countries enjoy the status of the SCO full members, among which are Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan, India, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan.

Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia are observer countries, while Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Cambodia, Nepal, Armenia, and Sri Lanka are dialogue partners.

The SCO is aimed to strengthen good neighborliness and friendship between the member states, strengthen mutual trust, promote fruitful cooperation in various fields, and support joint efforts to ensure regional peace, stability, and security.

On July 10, 2015, the SCO Heads of State Council's meeting decided to grant Azerbaijan the 'dialogue partner' status. On July 13, President Ilham Aliyev officially approved the decision at the session of the Cabinet of Ministers. Azerbaijan was presented with a draft memorandum on the relevant matter.

Furthermore, Azerbaijan and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2016. Countering terrorism, extremism, separatism, as well as ensuring regional security and stability, are among traditional priorities for the organization and are of particular importance for Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan is now working on establishing cooperation with the SCO Interbank Consortium. The primary objective of the agency, established in 2005, is to arrange a financing project tool supported by the SCO member states. To this end, the country has determined collaboration areas with SCO's leading economic bodies, financing investment projects, exchanging experience, training personnel, and other directions.

Azerbaijan's participation in the SCO Summit is clear evidence of deep respect for President Ilham Aliyev's admirable personality and statecraft, as well as the recognition of the country's important role as a bridge between East and West.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who repeatedly found himself in ridiculous situations by failing to rebut the arguments of President Ilham Aliyev at international conferences, refused to attend the event so as not to get into a similar situation yet again. Moreover, Pashinyan's move was expected following the crushing retaliatory blows of the Azerbaijani Army against Armenia's recent military provocations on the border with Azerbaijan.

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