The Samarkand Declaration of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on the outcomes of the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO held in the historic city of Samarkand in Uzbekistan was signed.
The summit, hosted by the President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan at the congress centre located in Samarkand’s newly built “Silk Road Samarkand” international tourist complex, ended.
The leaders of the member states of the organisation, President Vladimir Putin of Russia, President Xi Jinping of China, President Kassym Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan, President Sadir Caparov of Kyrgyzstan, President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, as well as the leaders of the observer states, President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh of Mongolia, President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran, and the invited leaders, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov of Turkmenistan and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan attended the summit.
The leaders of SCO member states Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, India, and Uzbekistan signed the Samarkand Declaration on the outcomes of the summit.
In the declaration, the leaders reaffirmed that the SCO is not directed against other states and international organisations and noted that they are open to cooperation based on consideration of mutual interests.
The leaders called for enhancing the efficiency of the World Trade Organisation and reforming it in light of the economic realities.
In the declaration, the leaders expressed their intention to expand defence and security cooperation, create a shared list of terrorist and extremist organisations, and underlined the importance of undertaking “Peace Mission” joint military exercises by the organisation to combat terrorism.
The leaders condemned the unilateral build-up of global missile defence systems by individual countries, stating that this has a negative impact on international security and stability.
The leaders called for compliance with the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and Their Destruction and highlighted their support for the demilitarisation of space and the necessity of adopting an international, legally binding document that would safeguard the prevention of an arms race in space.
Noting the significance of implementing the action plan regarding Iran’s nuclear programme, the leaders emphasised the need to strictly adhere to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons provisions.
The leaders acknowledged the necessity for a government in Afghanistan that includes representatives from all ethnic, religious, and political groups. Moreover, the leaders who approved the title “Goodwill Ambassador of the SCO” designated 2023 as the Year of Tourism.
India will assume the SCO term presidency following this summit, and the next SCO Summit will be held in India in 2023.
At the summit, the member states signed a total of 40 documents, including a comprehensive action plan for the execution of the long-term agreement on good neighbourliness, friendship, and collaboration.