Baku, Azerbaijan, June 24
By Elena Kosolapova – Trend:
During the chairmanship at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Kazakhstan intends to continue the great work done by Uzbekistan and to contribute to the development and strengthening of the SCO, to enhance its role and authority in the world, said Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
He made the remarks June 24 at the SCO Council of Heads of State in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the Kazakh president’s press service said.
“Strengthening the regional security, developing the economic cooperation, revealing the transit and transport potential, and deepening the cultural and humanitarian ties are among the priorities of Kazakhstan’s chairmanship,” said Nazarbayev.
He also noted that India’s and Pakistan’s joining the SCO is a qualitatively new stage in the organization’s development, reflecting the growth of its authority and role on international arena, while Iran’s possible joining the SCO in the future will enhance the cooperation opportunities.
Considering the joining of new countries, the SCO will include more than 60 percent of the territory of Eurasia, 45 percent of the world’s population, and over 19 percent of the world’s GDP, added Nazarbayev.
The Kazakh president also noted that the next summit of the heads of SCO member states will be held June 8-9, 2017, in Astana.
The SCO was established in 2001. The SCO members now are China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Afghanistan, Iran, Mongolia and Belarus are the SCO observer-countries, while Turkey, Azerbaijan, Sri Lanka, Armenia, Cambodia and Nepal are dialogue partners.
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