ASTANA: The 24th summit of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Thursday adopted the Astana Declaration and finalized 25 strategic agreements on energy, finance, security, trade and information security.
According to the Astana Declaration, member countries underscored the SCO’s role in bolstering security, global peace, stability and shaping a new democratic, equitable global political and economic order, inviting the international community to join the initiative.
During the summit, SCO member countries endorsed the Initiative on World Unity for a Just Peace, Harmony and Development, proposed by Kazakhstan.
The Council of Heads of State – Members of the SCO also adopted the SCO Development Strategy until 2035, highlighting collective contributions in light of Belarus gaining the status of a full member. Major resolutions during the summit included the cooperation programs to fight terrorism, extremism and separatism for 2025-2027, the Anti-Drug Strategy for the next five years, and its corresponding Action Program.
The summit also approved strategies for energy cooperation until 2030 and the Economic Development Strategy’s Action Plan until 2030. Additionally, resolutions encompassed the Association of Investors, programs for boosting cooperation in protected areas and eco-tourism, and mechanisms for financially assisting the SCO projects.
Further commitments included signing a memorandum of understanding between the SCO Secretariat and the Central Asian Regional Information Coordination Center to fight drug trafficking. The summit also adopted an interaction plan among member countries on international information security issues.
The member states additionally signed statements affirming principles of trust, and partnership, ensuring the safety of drinking water and sanitation, good neighbourliness, and promoting effective waste management. They also finalized an agreement on environmental protection cooperation among SCO governments.
The SCO is an intergovernmental organization founded by China and Russia in 2001 in Shanghai. It deals with Eurasian political, economic, security, and defence issues.
The organization consists of nine countries, including China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said on Thursday that Islamabad will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Heads of Governments meeting in October this year.
Earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping in his keynote address at the SCO summit urged the member states to resist external interference and assert control over their own destinies.
Emphasizing solidarity among SCO nations, which collectively represent around half of the world’s population, Xi stressed the importance of mutual support and safeguarding regional peace and development.
