Dear media representatives,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
A regular meeting of the Council of SCO Member States was held in a spirit of constructiveness and mutual understanding, which is typical for the Organization’s summits.
The Summit was attended by the heads of SCO Member States, Observer States and the heads of delegations, Chairman’s Guest of Honour President of Turkmenistan, representatives of several international and regional organizations.
I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of them and great appreciation for the active participation in the work of the Summit, for their new ideas and creative thoughts.
We have had a detailed, mutually beneficiary and frank exchange of views on the issues of current affairs and prospects for cooperation within the framework of the Organization, current issues of global and regional issues.
By endorsing the Model Memorandum of Commitments by the Applicant State for Obtaining SCO Member State Status in new edition and Order for Granting the Status of SCO Member State as the result of closed and extended meetings, today we have opened a new page in the annals of our Organization.
Such a step, aimed at SCO expansion, will certainly strengthen the international authority of our Organization, whose attractiveness grows from year to year.
All this shows that the potential of SCO is great and our common task is to open it fully in the interests of the peoples of participating states.
We have instructed the Council of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the SCO Member States to complete work on harmonization of draft Strategy of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Development until 2025 and submit it to the next meeting of the Council of the Heads of the Member States.
Its adoption will be a new stage in modern history of the Organization.
In many respects, it will also be connected with the near prospect for admission of new member in SCO. In fact, we are on a threshold not only quantitative but also qualitative growth of the Organization.
The heads of states noted the need for thorough preparation of all, including SCO Secretariat for this important event.
In a new, dramatically changing international situation, our Organization must demonstrate the ability quickly adapt and respond to complex tasks of preserving regional peace and stability and promote common development and prosperity.
In this regard, we welcome the outcomes of Minsk Meeting of Interested Parties to resolve the situation in the East of Ukraine, which is based on the implementation of the Plan of President of Ukraine and the Initiatives of the President of Russia and is aimed at the peaceful settlement of this thorny problem.
A subject of our concern is also the situation in Afghanistan.
Taking into account the fact that Afghanistan is a SCO Observer State, a view was expressed that it is necessary to double our collective efforts to provide assistance to this country, including through the UN system, more actively involve it in SCO projects.
The Tajik party suggested devising a special SCO programme for Afghanistan that could act in place of the SCO-Afghanistan contact group.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization has something to say about its activities in the past year that we have earlier heard the reports of the Secretary-General and the Head of Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Organization.
First of all, it is worth noting further strengthening of interaction in active combat against the "three evils", drug trafficking and transnational crime, including cybercrime.
Progress has been made in trade and economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres of cooperation. There are many new items in the Organization’s activities , including work with youth. In this context, today’s decision of the Council of Heads of States on activities to mark the anniversary of victory in SCO Member States the next year, as well as the commemorative events of the Second World War with the participation of the general public and the media.
Summit agreed the SCO Presidency going to the Russian Federation and to hold the next meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Organization in the Russian city of Ufa. We congratulate our Russian colleagues and wish them every success. The Republic of Tajikistan will provide full support to the Russian presidency.
Expressing satisfaction with the work done at the Dushanbe Summit, we hope that decisions adopted here will contribute to the further strengthening and development of our multilateral cooperation, increase the credibility of the SCO in the international arena.