UPDATE - Uzbek president announces plans to expand Shanghai Cooperation Organization

UPDATES WITH REMARKS BY KAZAKH, KYRGYZ, BELARUSIAN, AZERBAIJANI, TURKMEN PRESIDENTS

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced on Friday plans for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to expand.

Speaking at a meeting of the SCO leaders in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Mirziyoyev said a memorandum about Iran’s accession to the organization is set to be signed.

The procedure has been launched to grant a member status to Belarus, he said, adding that Bahrain, Maldives, Kuwait, the UAE, and Myanmar are also set to get the status of a partner in dialogue.

Mirziyoyev suggested adopting the SCO strategy till 2040 and working out principles of food security.

He also noted that the time has come to address the issues of the SCO antiterrorist activities.

“There is no doubt that this legendary city (Samarkand) will open another page of the SCO's success,” he said.

- Kazakh president praises SCO as ‘most successful’ organization

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called the Eurasian bloc “the most successful international organization” in the world.

He noted that the SCO is expanding every year, saying "it is convincing evidence of the high demand for the organization."

"The SCO member states account for about a quarter of the global gross domestic product, that is, more than $23 trillion. We have at our disposal the richest reserves of energy resources, coal, rare metals, and renewable energy sources," Tokayev said.

The Kazakh president suggested increasing cooperation between the defense departments and special services of the SCO countries to jointly address both the military challenges and issues of combating cybercrime and other threats.

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov put forward an initiative of opening the SCO Center for Combating Organized Crime in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek.

He also urged the SCO leaders to take "coordinated steps" to help the people of Afghanistan.

- Belarusian president suggests holding SCO sports competitions in 2024 and 2026

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko called on the SCO leaders to coordinate actions and develop "a collective response to new challenges and threats in the economy."

He called for increasing, within the SCO, payments in national currencies and to hold SCO sports competitions in summer 2024 and winter 2026.

The SCO, an international organization founded in 2001, has eight member countries -- India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan.

It also has four observer countries, including Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia, and six partner countries -- Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Türkiye, and Sri Lanka.

It is expected that at the upcoming summit, the procedures for Iran's admission to the organization as a full member will be completed and Belarus's full membership application will be accepted.