WNAM REPORT: A meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a Eurasian bloc, began Tuesday in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek.
Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov welcomed the heads of state and government at the Yntymak Ordo complex, where the meeting is being held, before the leaders posed for the traditional photo.
In his opening remarks, Japarov noted that the meeting coincides with the bloc’s 25th anniversary, adding that this year’s theme is “Together for Sustainable Peace, Development and Prosperity.”
He said the organization has evolved from a mechanism focused on border security into a global actor with influence on the international stage.
The president said member states account for more than 40% of the world’s population and around a quarter of global gross domestic product (GDP).
Japarov said the philosophy underpinning Kyrgyzstan’s chairmanship is based on the saying “Unity is the foundation of prosperity,” which he said reflects the essence of the Shanghai Spirit.
Expressing confidence that member states would launch a new stage in the organization’s development through coordinated solutions, Japarov formally declared the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting open.
The meeting continued behind closed doors, with leaders expected to sign the “Bishkek Declaration,” marking the organization’s silver jubilee.
Among the attendees are Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Following the Council of Heads of State meeting, the SCO Plus meeting, which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due to attend, will begin.
Türkiye is not a full member of the bloc, but has been a “dialogue partner” for the organization since 2012.
