In accordance with the meeting agenda, the parties discussed the current state and prospects for the SCO development for a period ahead, prospective joint steps to promote practical cooperation within the Organization, and exchanged views on the current international and regional issues.
Opening the meeting as the Chairman, the President of Kazakhstan drew focus toward the completion of the process of accepting Pakistan and India as the SCO full members and underscored the Summit’s history making importance.
- Our current meeting, without exaggeration, will be a landmark event - the Organization’s membership is expanding for the first time. From now on, the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan become full members of the SCO. Now the zone of its responsibility spans the area with a population of more than 3 billion people. Thus, it entered a new stage of its institutional development already as "Shanghai Eight". Today, we are witnessing an increase in escalation and geopolitical tensions in some regions adjacent to the SCO space. In this regard, the adoption by our Council of the Declaration of the SCO Heads of State on joint opposition to international terrorism is a well-judged action, Nursultan Nazarbayev said.
The Head of the State also stressed the high relevance of the SCO Convention on Countering Extremism.
In addition, the President of Kazakhstan noted the contribution of the joint "Peace Mission" to strengthening the practical cooperation of the Organization’s member countries, and also expressed gratitude to all parties for participating in the “World Without Drugs” international campaign, held this April in Astana.
In his speech, Nursultan Nazarbayev separately focused on the work on strengthening the SCO cooperation with international organizations and associations.
- In November 2016, the UN General Assembly Resolution on cooperation with the SCO was adopted. We welcome the results of the SCO-UN joint high-level event on fight against transnational drug-related crime. Institutionalization of relations between the Shanghai Organization and the International Committee of the Red Cross is expected to be promising. We also support the establishment of cooperation between the SCO and the Eurasian Economic Union and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Head of State said.
The President of Kazakhstan focused on promoting economic cooperation within the Organization and noted new institutional opportunities in this area.
- The Agreement between the governments of the SCO member states on creating favorable conditions for international road transport has come into force. The prospects of regional trade and economic cooperation are considered positively in light of the Eurasian Economic Union projects and The Silk Road Economic Belt initiative’s compatibility. The growth of mutual trade in the future can contribute to the SCO Free Trade Zone creation. In addition, cultural and humanitarian cooperation is an important vector of our activity. In this context, we welcome the signing of the Agreement on the SCO University, Nursultan Nazarbayev said.
In addition, the Head of State drew focus on the expected intensification of cooperation within the Joint Action Plan for implementation of the Cooperation Program of the SCO Member States in tourism for 2017-2018.
Also, the President of Kazakhstan stated about our country’s aim as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council to bend every effort to settle regional and global conflicts.
- We fully support the efforts of Afghanistan’s leadership to strengthen intra-Afghan political dialogue and measures to transform the country into a stable and steadily developing state. Kazakhstan on the platform of Astana process will keep on making its feasible contribution to the negotiation process to resolve the inter-Syrian crisis. It is important to ensure the conditions for participation of all interested parties in these negotiations, Nursultan Nazarbayev said.
The Head of the State noted that Kazakhstan is a consistent protagonist of the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation idea, and in this regard, our country is in favor of an early resumption of negotiations on the nuclear problem settlement in North Korea.
Also, the President of Kazakhstan noted the actions taken by our country to develop the "green energy".
- Today we all will take part in the opening ceremony of the world specialized exhibition EXPO-2017 under the Future Energy motto. For several months, the most advanced technologies in the field of clean energy will be demonstrated here. I hope that the EXPO results in Astana will bring tangible benefits to all the SCO states and the international community as a whole, Nursultan Nazarbayev said.
At the end of the speech, the Head of the State underscored that the high level of interaction in all key areas of the Organization's development will be achieved only through joint efforts of all participating countries.
Xi Jinping Chairman of the People’s Republic of China, Almazbek Atambayev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, Emomali Rahmon, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Ashraf Ghani, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Alexander Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Belarus, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, President of Mongolia, Yevgeny Sysoev, Director of the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Antiterrorist Structure, Sergey Lebedev, Chairman of the Executive Committee, the Executive Secretary of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Gong Jianwei, Executive Director of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, Le Luong Minh, Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and Amanzhol Zhankuliev, Deputy Secretary-General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, have addressed the meeting.
According to the regulations, after the meeting the Chairmanship in the SCO was passed over to the People's Republic of China.
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Following the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit, the following documents have been adopted:
1. Astana Declaration of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Heads of State;
2. The SCO Convention on Counteracting Extremism;
3. Decision of the SCO Summit on completing the admission of the Republic of India to the SCO and granting it the status of the SCO member state;
4. Decision of the SCO Summit on completing the admission of the Republic of Pakistan to the SCO and granting it the status of the SCO member state;
5. Decision of the SCO Summit on the contributions of the SCO member states in connection with granting the status of the SCO member state to the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan;
6. Decision of the SCO Summit on approval of the Report of the Secretary General of the Organization on the SCO activities for the past year;
7. Decision of the SCO Summit on approval of the Report of the Council of the Regional Antiterrorist Structure of the SCO on the activities of the Regional Antiterrorist Structure in 2016;
8. Decision of the SCO Summit on approval of the Regulations on the Permanent Representative of the SCO Member State to the SCO RATS;
9. Decision of the SCO Summit on termination of the decisions of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO Member States;
10. Statement of the SCO Heads of States on joint counteraction to international terrorism (adopted without signing);
11. Information message on the results of the SCO Summit (adopted without signing).
