The Shanghai Cooperation Organization has entered its second and final day. SCO leaders take part in a group photograph on Friday and then hold a meeting at which not all members will be present. There will be a meeting for all members later and they will also sign the Samarkand Declaration, which confirms the positions of the participating countries on the most important regional and global issues.
The SCO, which was founded in 2001, is a successor of the Shanghai Five group - founded in 1996 - and now has nine members: India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Iran, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan.
Afghanistan, Belarus, and Mongolia are observer states; Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Egypt Nepal, Qatar, Turkey and Sri Lanka are dialogue partners. Iran applied to be a full member at the SCO summit in Dushanbe in September 2021, and the bid by Saudi Arabia - launched at the same summit - is still pending. This year, Belarus officially applied to join the SCO as a full member.
The second day of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit officially kicked off with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Russian President Vladimir Putin in attendance, among others. The SCO is holding its first in-person summit in Samarkand in Uzbekistan after two years.
The summit is set to deliberate on regional security challenges, boosting trade and energy supplies among other issues. The President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev chairs the meeting.
The followings are the latest updates on the SCO summit in Samarkand:
Samarkand Declaration
The member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) have noted the importance of implementing the cooperation program in countering terrorism, according to the Samarkand declaration signed on Friday.
"The member states expressed deep concern over the threat to security posed by terrorism, separatism and extremism in all its forms and manifestations, and strongly condemned terrorist acts around the world. They stressed the importance of the consistent implementation of the Program of Cooperation of the SCO Member States in Countering Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism for 2022-2024 [signed in 2021]," the document read.
"The member states are strongly against the militarization of the IT sector. They support the development of universal rules, principles and norms of responsible behavior of states in this area, and also welcome the launch of the development under the auspices of the UN of a comprehensive international convention on combating the use of ICT for criminal purposes," the document read.
"The member states once again draw attention to the fact that the unilateral and unrestricted build-up of global missile defense systems by individual countries or groups of states has a negative impact on international security and stability. They consider unacceptable attempts to ensure their own security at the expense of the security of other states," the declaration read.
"The member states consider it important to sustainably implement the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear program and, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2231, call on all participants to strictly fulfill their obligations for the comprehensive and effective implementation of the document," the document read.
"The member states call for full implementation of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction (CWC) as an effective instrument in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation. They stress the importance of the early destruction of all declared stockpiles of chemical weapons," the declaration read.
"The member states consider it extremely important to establish an inclusive government in Afghanistan with the participation of representatives of all ethnic, religious and political groups of Afghan society," the declaration read.
The SCO also advocates the formation of Afghanistan as an independent, neutral, united, democratic and peaceful state, free from terrorism, war and drugs, the document added.
"The member states call for more effective WTO as a key forum for discussing the international trade agenda and adopting the rules of the multilateral trading system," the document read, noting the need for an inclusive reform as soon as possible.
"In accordance with their national laws and on the basis of consensus, the member states will strive to develop common principles and approaches to the formation of a single list of terrorist, separatist and extremist organizations whose activities are prohibited on the territories of the SCO member states," the document read.
Interaction with regional countries Iran's foreign policy: Raeisi
The Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi described "maximum interaction and unity" with the countries of the region, including the members of the Shanghai Organisation, and effective presence in regional and international arrangements as the focus of Iran's foreign policy, and said, "With the active and effective presence of Iran in the activities of the Shanghai Organisation, this membership will be recorded as one of the important developments in the history of this organisation".
The President described the signing of the memorandum of commitments of the Islamic Republic of Iran in this meeting and the membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as an important step in the field of regional and international politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and emphasized, "Certainly, with the active and effective presence of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the activities of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, this membership will be recorded as one of the most important developments in the history of this organisation."
Russia stands for early inclusion of Iran in SCO: Putin
Iran's accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will have a positive impact on the organization’s work given the important role of this country in the world, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the SCO summit on Friday, TASS news agency reported.
"Russia certainly stands for the soonest completion of the accession process of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the SCO, which is what the relevant documents and memorandums to be signed today are aimed at. We are convinced that Iran's full-fledged participation will have a positive impact on the organization’s work, as this country plays an important role in the Eurasian region and in the world as a whole," he said.
The Russian president also stressed that the SCO attaches great importance to the expansion of cooperation with the countries willing to establish an open and equal dialogue with the organization and interested in joining its activities.
He also announced Russia's support for Belarus's accession to the SCO.
Xi says important to prevent attempts by external forces to provoke a color revolution
It is important to prevent any attempts by external forces to organize "color revolutions" in the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Friday, according to Sputnik.
"We should support each other's efforts to protect security and development interests. It is important to prevent attempts by external forces to provoke a color revolution, and jointly oppose interference in the affairs of other countries under any pretext," Xi said at the SCO summit in Samarkand.
Memorandum on Iran's accession to SCO to be signed today
Uzbek president announced the start of procedures for granting Belarus SCO membership. He also said that Bahrain, Maldives, Kuwait, UAE and Myanmar to receive SCO dialogue partner status on Friday.
Uzbek President also announced in the meeting that the memorandum on Iran's accession to SCO will be signed today.
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