Shavkat Mirziyoyev, speaking September 1 in Bishkek at the anniversary meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's Council of Heads of State, laid out what he described as the bloc's most urgent priorities going forward.
According to the presidential press service, Mirziyoyev proposed launching work on a new strategic concept, "SCO 2040: A Space for Shared Development."
"Its central goal should be to build an interconnected, sustainable space where investment, technology and knowledge flow freely, where major infrastructure and industrial projects are carried out, and where direct ties between regions, businesses and people continue to expand," the Uzbek leader said.
Among the key priorities identified was the development of an SCO Industrial Cooperation Map — a single digital platform intended to bring together special economic zones, production chains, sales markets and logistics networks for the benefit of entrepreneurs, investors and government bodies across the bloc.
SCO Development Bank
Mirziyoyev said several steps should be taken without delay, chief among them making the long-discussed SCO Development Bank operational. He also proposed that the Council of Heads of Government begin assembling a pipeline of joint projects in transport, energy, industrial cooperation and digital infrastructure.
The Uzbek president welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping's initiative to create a World AI Cooperation Organization and suggested the SCO establish a formal partnership with the new body. He underscored the importance of agreeing to build an open, multilingual data corpus for the organization, and said Uzbekistan stands ready to host an SCO forum on artificial intelligence and emerging digital technologies.
Citing the risks posed by climate change, Mirziyoyev called for a unified SCO agenda on food, water and energy security, proposing a dedicated mechanism within the organization to coordinate joint programs, technology transfer and knowledge-sharing on these issues.
Water and energy efficiency
As one concrete step in that direction, he pointed to the development of an SCO technical cooperation program on water and energy efficiency running through 2035.
To help build out a broader network of international transport corridors, Mirziyoyev also proposed setting up a council to oversee the integration of railway networks among SCO member states.
Reviving regular dialogue with Afghanistan
Stability in Afghanistan, Mirziyoyev said, remains a fundamental condition for security and development across the region. He called for restoring the SCO's regular channel of dialogue with Afghan representatives.
Turning to the Tashkent-based Universal Centre for Countering Security Threats and Challenges, Mirziyoyev expressed confidence that adoption of its founding charter would open a new chapter in the organization's institutional development, and pledged that all necessary conditions would be put in place for the center to operate effectively.
To deepen cultural ties among SCO nations, he proposed drawing up a 2028–2030 cooperation program dedicated to preserving and promoting traditional arts and intangible cultural heritage.
Mirziyoyev closed his remarks by congratulating Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on assuming the SCO's rotating chairmanship.
Signed Accords
The meeting ended with a signing ceremony. Leaders adopted the Bishkek Declaration, a protocol amending and supplementing the SCO Charter of June 7, 2002, a declaration on strengthening multilateral partnership in nuclear and physical nuclear security, and a broader package of documents aimed at reinforcing the organization's priority areas of cooperation.
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