After the official welcoming ceremony, meetings of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization were held in a narrow and expanded format.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has thanked the President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sooronbai Jeenbekov for the warm welcome and the high level of preparation for the summit and expressed confidence that the decisions taken at the summit and the documents signed will contribute to the deepening of cooperation between the countries.
The Head of State stressed that the international relations system’s transformation dictates the need to develop new, more balanced and clear principles for the activities of multilateral associations, and in this regard he outlined the SCO’s main tasks.
- First, strengthening confidence, constructive dialogue and interaction should remain in order to ensure security and cooperation in the SCO area. In this regard, the Action Plan for 2018-2022 should be fully actualized within the framework of the strategic agreement for the SCO on long-term good-neighborliness, friendship and cooperation, the President of Kazakhstan said.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted the timeliness of Nursultan Nazarbayev’s Three Dialogues initiative and in this context noted the need to enhance the Organization’s international competitiveness by expanding and establishing full-fledged relations with key multilateral structures of Eurasia, such as the Eurasian Economic Union, ASEAN, BRICS and European Union.
- In the conditions of slowing economic growth and financial instability in world markets, it is necessary to more effectively use the huge economic potential of the SCO. We believe that this will be facilitated by forming the eight-sided format of the Eurasian financial consulting mechanism. The Memorandum signed today between the SCO Secretariat and the AIFC will allow using the unique innovative potential of Astana International Financial Centre in the development of the financial system of the SCO countries, the Head of State said.
The President of Kazakhstan focused the meeting participants on the region’s security issues. In his opinion, the terrorist attacks in the SCO Sri Lanka partner country this April confirm the relevance of Kazakhstan’s initiative to form the Global Antiterrorist Coalition under the auspices of the UN.
- The problem of terrorism makes itself felt also in the global network and requires additional efforts to ensure cybersecurity. Creation of the SCO Information Security Center would be a significant contribution to the protection of the Organization’s information space. Taking into account the experience and specifics, the Council of the RATS SCO is able to assume the main role in promoting this issue, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev suggested.
In addition, the Head of State dwelled on climate change and environmental protection and proposed the establishment of a permanent platform for cooperation in this area.
Concluding his speech, the President of Kazakhstan stressed that peacemaking is an important part of the country's foreign policy to strengthen international and regional security, and expressed gratitude to the SCO partners for supporting Kazakhstan’s peacemaking initiatives within the UN.
***
Following the Summit, the following documents have been adopted and signed:
1. Information Statement following the results, Meeting of the Council of Heads of the SCO member states;
2. Bishkek Declaration of the Heads of the SCO member states;
3. Decision of the Council of the Heads of the SCO Member States on approving the 2018-2023 Work Plan for implementing the Anti-Drug Strategy of the SCO member states and the 2018-2023 Action Program for implementing the anti-drug strategy of the SCO member states;
4. Decision of the Council of Heads of the SCO Member States on approving the Regulations of the Forum of Heads of Regions of the SCO Member States;
5. Decision of the Council of Heads of the SCO Member States on approving the Concept of cooperation of the SCO member states in digitalization and information and communication technologies;
6. Decision of the Council of Heads of the SCO Member States on approving the Program for tdeveloping interregional cooperation of the SCO member states;
7. Decision of the SCO Heads of State Council on approving the SCO Secretary General’s Report on the activities of the SCO over the past year;
8. Decision of the Council of Heads of the SCO Member States on approving the Report of the Council on the Regional Antiterrorist Structure of the SCO on the activities of the Regional Antiterrorist Structure of the SCO in 2018;
9. Decision of the Council of Heads of the SCO Member States on approving the Action Plan for practical implementation of the Concept of Cooperation in environmental protection of the SCO Member States;
10. Decision of the SCO Council of Heads of State on signing the Memorandum of Understanding between the SCO and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs;
11. Decision of the SCO Council of Heads of State on the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the SCO Secretariat and the World Tourism Organization;
12. Decision of the SCO Heads of State Council on signing the Memorandum of Understanding b/w the SCO Secretariat and Astana International Financial Center;
13. Decision of the SCO Heads of State Council on signing the Memorandum of Understanding b/w the SCO (SCO Secretariat) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO);
14. Decision of the Council of the Heads of the SCO Member States on signing the Memorandum of Understanding b/w the SCO Secretariat and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe;
15. Decision of the Council of Heads of the SCO Member States on signing the Roadmap for Further Action of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group;
16. Agreement b/w the governments of the SCO member states on cooperation in the field of mass media;
17. Agreement b/w the authorized bodies of the SCO member states on cooperation in the field of physical culture and sports;
18. The Plan of Key Activities for cooperation of the SCO member states in the field of health care for 2019-2021;
19. Memorandum of Understanding b/w the SCO Secretariat and Astana International Financial Center;
20. Memorandum of Understanding b/w the Secretariat of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the World Tourism Organization;
21. Memorandum of Understanding b/w the SCO and the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs;
22. Roadmap for further actions of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group.
