SEOUL, September 12 (AJP) - A new body charged with countering security threats facing the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's member states will be based in Tashkent, handing Uzbekistan a permanent institutional role at the center of the bloc's security work.
Leaders approved the regulation establishing the Universal Center for Countering Security Challenges and Threats at the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Bishkek on Sept. 1. The SCO brings together 10 countries across Eurasia, among them China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, and it is marking its 25th anniversary this year.
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed at the same meeting that the organization draw up a conceptual vision called "SCO-2040: A Space for Common Development."
"Today, it is important not only to effectively address emerging challenges, but also to have a clear understanding of what we want the organization to become in the long term," he said. "The competitiveness of our states will directly depend on our readiness to combine our potential and create new opportunities for joint development. I am convinced that the enormous human, natural, industrial and intellectual resources of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries should serve, first and foremost, to enhance the well-being of our peoples."
The vision, he said, should aim to "create an interconnected and sustainable space, where investments, technologies and knowledge can be freely exchanged, major infrastructure and industrial projects can be implemented and direct ties among regions, businesses and people can be expanded."
Time has demonstrated the relevance of the SCO platform and the effectiveness of its format, Mirziyoyev said. Uzbekistan has supported the organization since its founding as an open, non-aligned and peace-loving platform for cooperation.
"We particularly value the fact that Central Asia, the geographical and strategic core of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, remains at the heart of our cooperation," he added.
Technology was the second area where Tashkent put itself forward. Mirziyoyev welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping's initiative to establish a World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, a body meant to coordinate how governments develop and govern the technology.
"I believe that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization should be among the first partners of this new technological alliance," he said.
He proposed creating an SCO Open Multilingual Data Corpus, a shared pool of language data that AI systems can be trained on, and said Tashkent is ready to host the SCO Forum on Artificial Intelligence and New Digital Solutions next year.
On the economy, which he identified as the main indicator of the organization's effectiveness, Mirziyoyev proposed an SCO Industrial Cooperation Map drawing together special economic zones, production processes, markets and logistics.
"In effect, this will create a universal digital window for businesses, investors and government agencies," he said.
Uzbekistan believes the organization should move from agreeing on general principles for an SCO Development Bank to launching one, the president continued. The work should rest on developed investment proposals of regional significance, and members should begin assembling a portfolio of priority projects in transport, energy, industrial cooperation and digital infrastructure.
Climate pressure is reaching into food, water and energy supplies across member states, Mirziyoyev said, and the situation requires a single agenda that treats those problems together rather than separately. He proposed a dedicated mechanism to coordinate programs, technology exchange and the sharing of advanced knowledge, with an SCO Program for Technological Cooperation in Water and Energy Efficiency through 2035 as one step in that direction.
He gave similar weight to transport, calling the continued expansion of international transport corridors a matter of critical importance. He urged the creation of a Council for the Integration of the Railway Networks of SCO Member States, with priority given to coordinating logistics infrastructure and knitting national transport systems together.
Afghanistan, he said, is fundamental to the security and development of the region.
"We all need a prosperous neighboring country integrated into constructive regional processes. The time has come to resume regular dialogue between the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and Afghanistan to discuss a broad range of issues related to security and economic cooperation," he said.
Mirziyoyev also proposed a Program for Cooperation on the Preservation and Promotion of Traditional Arts and Intangible Cultural Heritage for 2028~2030, and expressed concern over developments in the Middle East, saying Uzbekistan firmly supports a return to dialogue and de-escalation there.
Chairing the meeting was Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov. Also at the table were the presidents of Belarus, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Tajikistan, the prime ministers of India and Pakistan, the president of China, the SCO secretary-general and the director of the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, the counterterrorism arm that has operated out of Tashkent for two decades.
The chairmanship passed from Kyrgyzstan to Pakistan.
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