Javohirkhon Nasrullaev
On September 15-16, 2022, a meeting of the Council of Heads of SCO member states was held in the city of Samarkand, the “Pearl of the Great Silk Road”.
During this event, meetings were held to exchange views on topical issues on the regional and international agenda and to discuss new priorities for multilateral cooperation within the Organization.
President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif, and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, all attended the event.
Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi and President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon also did.
The heads of the SCO observer countries & honorary guests of the summit also participated. They include the President of the Republic of Belarus; Alexander Lukashenko, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran; Ebrahim Raisi, & the President of Mongolia; Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh.
In addition, the President of the Republic of Turkiye; Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan; Ilham Aliyev, and President of Turkmenistan; Serdar Berdimuhamedow also attended.
Moreover, heads of international and regional organizations, including Deputy Secretary-General of United Nations; Rosemary A.DiCarlo, SCO Secretary-General; Zhang Ming, and Director of the RATS Executive Committee; Ruslan Mirzaev were also present.
Since 2022, Uzbekistan has held the chairmanship of the Organization under the slogan “the SCO is strong if each of us is strong,” with the goal of strengthening friendship and good neighborliness among the organization’s member states, further developing the “Shanghai spirit,” maintaining peace, security, and stability in the region, increasing cooperation in trade, economic, cultural, and humanitarian areas, and maintaining a positive image and international reputation.
On the eve of the summit, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev stated in an article published that “The SCO Samarkand Summit: Dialogue and Cooperation in an Interconnected World” were met with great interest not only by our country’s people but also by the international community.
The President defined the “Samarkand spirit” as the epitome of SCO member nations’ collaboration, mutual understanding, and friendliness.
Along these lines, he stated, “The ancient city of Samarkand, the pearl of the Great Silk Road, is ready to meet the leaders of fourteen countries around the world with new breakthrough proposals and initiatives meant to serve the SCO and each of its partners.”
Without a doubt, this legendary city will write another chapter in the SCO’s success story. Samarkand’s magnificent historical legacy will help with this.
For centuries, this city has been like a thread connecting countries from Europe to China, joining North and South, East and West into a single knot.
In the past, Samarkand was a hub of information and ideas where people came together to “cook” up ways to live better, succeed more, and be happier.
Everyone also knows that having nice neighbors makes up half of one’s riches, and you are a benefit to them because you are aware of the positive effects that cooperation, trade, oeuvre, science, art, and the best ideas have on the world and how they enrich and bring people and nations together.
The world has traditionally been considered as one and indivisible from Samarkand, rather than divided. This is the essence of the “Samarkand spirit,” a singular phenomenon that can be used to create a completely new type of international cooperation structure, including one that operates within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
In fact, the “Samarkand spirit” is designed to organically complement the “Shanghai spirit”, thanks to which more than 20 years ago our countries decided to create a new organization in demand.
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev summarised the outcomes of the SCO chairmanship in 2021–2022 in his speech at the SCO summit.
The head of state stressed that throughout this time, more than 80 significant events have taken place. Despite the challenging effects of the pandemic, Uzbekistan’s SCO chairmanship plan has been effectively carried out.
The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan highlighted how the SCO has grown to be a significant player in both regional and global processes in a historically little amount of time.
The Organization’s stabilizing function as a crucial contributor to security and economic expansion is being strengthened.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev concluded by saying that cooperative, coordinated, and efficient work is crucial to the SCO’s future and the growth of our nations.
“Together we are able to take the Organization to new frontiers in order to ensure regional and global security, in the name of progress and prosperity of our countries and peoples”, – the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan expressed his conviction.
The summit’s outcomes show that a record number of agreements, concepts, and initiatives were reached. A total of 44 documents were produced, including:
- The Comprehensive Action Plan for 2023-2027 for the implementation of the provisions of the Treaty on Long-term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship, and Cooperation of the SCO member States;
- The announcement of the city of Varanasi (India) as the tourist and cultural capital of the SCO in 2022-2023;
- Signing of a Memorandum between the SCO Secretariat and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO);
- Improving the activities of the SCO.
The SCO Council of Heads of State also adopted statements in the following areas:
- Actions to respond to climate change;
- Ensuring reliable, sustainable, and diversified supply chains;
- Ensuring global food security;
- Ensuring energy security;
- and other decisions that will contribute to filling cooperation in promising areas of the Organization with qualitatively new practical content.
It is believed and hoped that the “Samarkand spirit” of the SCO will be reflected in the activities of the member countries of the organization to stabilize peace, security, and development in the region.
*The writer is the Head of Department for cooperation with international ratings, Samarkand State Institute of Foreign Languages, Uzbekistan
**The Diplomatic Insight does not take any position on issues. The views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Diplomatic Insight and its staff.
