Uzbekistan supports SCO expansion

Uzbekistan supports expanding the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) by admitting new members and dialogue partners. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced this today, September 1, at the SCO summit in Tianjin, China.

“We support the consistent expansion of the Organization. The success of the ‘SCO model’ lies in its openness and focus on broad cooperation. We are ready to back the aspirations of countries that see their future connected to the SCO,” Mirziyoyev said.

According to the president, expanding the number of SCO dialogue partners, including by engaging other regional states, would help transform the organization into a key platform for cooperation with countries of the Global South.

Mirziyoyev also stressed the need to enhance the SCO’s efficiency and strengthen its institutions and decision-making mechanisms.

“I believe that the processes launched at the Samarkand Summit on transforming the organization will help achieve these important goals,” he stated.

The Samarkand Summit, held on September 16, 2022, under Uzbekistan’s chairmanship, introduced the “Samarkand Solidarity Initiative” for common security and prosperity. Its main objective is to involve all interested states in an inclusive inter-civilizational dialogue to foster international cooperation, rebuild trust, and reduce global tensions and uncertainty. The initiative emphasizes cultural, ethnic, and religious cooperation to bridge divides and reflects the principles of the UN Declaration on Dialogue Among Civilizations, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2001.

The SCO was established in Shanghai on June 15, 2001, with six founding members: Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan joined in 2017, followed by Iran in 2023 and Belarus in 2024.