TIANJIN, China, September 1. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev presented his vision for the priority areas of further development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) during his speech at the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO member countries, Trend reports.
The primary focus delineated was the enhancement of synergistic alliances and reciprocal backing within the operational paradigm of the organization.
“In the context of escalating geopolitical conflicts, technological rivalry, financial and economic sanctions, environmental and man-made disasters, the SCO must become a permanent platform for broad-format political interaction, strengthening mutual trust in the international community, developing humanitarian cooperation and intercivilizational dialogue. In this regard, we positively assess the initiatives of the President of China on global development, global security, global civilization, and global governance. We believe that the full implementation of the ten-year SCO development strategy adopted today is of utmost importance,” said Tokayev.
Tokayev emphasized the importance of enhancing cooperation in the field of security. According to him, this area is becoming a priority due to the rise of international terrorism, religious extremism, drug trafficking, illegal migration, cybercrime, and other destructive trends.
“Such threats to international security, including the ‘three evils,’ can only be overcome through joint action. Therefore, Kazakhstan supports the establishment of four SCO centers to combat security challenges and threats. We believe it is important to strengthen business contacts between the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA). We call on SCO member states to continue providing humanitarian and technical assistance to Afghanistan for the country's recovery and its integration into regional and economic processes. Kazakhstan has started the construction of several infrastructure and logistics projects in Afghanistan, which will help enhance connectivity among SCO member states. In early August, with the participation of the UN Secretary-General, the UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan was officially opened in Almaty. We propose that SCO member states jointly use the potential of this Center to coordinate efforts and intensify regional cooperation across all priority areas,” said the President of Kazakhstan.
Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel