TASHKENT: President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev on Wednesday congratulated his Iranian counterpart Ibrahim Raisi on the completion of all procedural requirements and accession of Iran to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Virtually addressing the SCO summit, Mirziyoyev said that Uzbekistan also fully supported the decision and efforts of Belarus to obtain the status of the SCO member-state.
Highlighting the new developments in geo-politics, he said that dramatic changes in the system of international relations are being witnessed. Unfortunately, there are increasing geopolitical tensions and escalation of conflicts, the emergence of new dangers and threats to world security and sustainable development, intensifying challenges of environmental change, and food and energy security.
He stressed that there was an urgent need to start a constructive and trusted process of negotiations to overcome these challenges.
Mirziyoyev said that Uzbekistan takes a principled position on the central role of the United Nations (UN) in settlement of conflicts and disputes, in the search and adoption of solutions in a bid to ensure peace and stability.
Uzbekistan to establish platform to discuss acute issues
He said that Uzbekistan, with UN and other high-profile international partners, was planning to establish a permanent platform to discuss the most acute issues of the global agenda, assess its effects on the region and elaborate joint proposals.
He said that in developing and consolidating multilateral and multifaceted cooperation within the SCO, it should be noted that the success of the Organization is ensured by complete adherence to its core principles. This includes firm commitment to openness, the non-aligned status, equality, and consensus-based decision-making.
He added that it was crucial to maintain and strengthen the leading role of the SCO as an effective international structure in addressing the most pressing problems on the regional agenda.
