Under the chairmanship of the Kyrgyz Republic a meeting of the Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in an extended format (SCO HOG) was held in Bishkek.

The meeting was chaired by the Chairman of the SCO Council of Heads of Government and the Head of the Presidential Administration of the Kyrgyz Republic, Akylbek Zhaparov.

The Head of the Cabinet of Ministers warmly welcomed the participants of the event and noted that since the announcement of "COVID-19," this meeting is taking place in person for the first time.

In addition, the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers congratulated the Iranian delegation led by the First Vice President of Iran, Mr. Mohammad Mohber, who is participating for the first time in the meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the SCO member states as a full-fledged member of the Organization.

Further, the Agenda of the meeting of the SCO State Security Committee was approved, as well as the list of speakers.

In his capacity as the Chairman, the first speaker was the Head of the Cabinet of Ministers, Akylbek Zhaparov.

Below is the full text of his speech:

Dear colleagues,

There is no doubt that the SCO has emerged as a unique international alliance for exchanging views and developing mutually acceptable mechanisms in the fields of security, trade, economic, and cultural-humanitarian cooperation.

I am pleased to note that our relationship has solidified the "Shanghai Spirit," which is an active principle of mutual trust, equality, and respect based on friendship and good neighborliness.

We can confidently say that together we shape the center for making coordinated and significant decisions within our organization's sphere of responsibility.

Dear Heads of Delegations,

Our Organization is open and in demand, as evidenced by the expansion of the "SCO family."

 As President of the Kyrgyz Republic, the esteemed Sadyr Nurgozhoevich Japarov pointed out, it is necessary to develop and adopt a Roadmap for cooperation with SCO partners through dialogue.

Thanks to the joint efforts, the Islamic Republic of Iran has obtained full membership status within the SCO, and the legal procedures for granting the status of a member state to the Republic of Belarus are nearing completion.

Active and cohesive work is being carried out in all areas of the Organization's activities. The most important aspect of cooperation should be ensuring security in our region.

In line with the resolution of the Council of Heads of State on "Enhancing Mechanisms to Counter Challenges and Threats to the Security of SCO Member States," active work is underway to coordinate national initiatives on this topic.

In this context, we express hope for close cooperation with our partners on the establishment of a Center to Counter International Organized Crime in Bishkek.

Serious attention should be given to enhancing the SCO's activities. We are faced with a substantial task of amending the statutory documents and institutional reform of our Organization.

We consider it important to work on the adoption of relevant decisions and documents in this regard.

Dear Heads of Delegations,

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is currently a dynamically evolving region in the world. The combined population of the member countries of the organization exceeds 3.3 billion people, which accounts for over 42% of the world's population.

The GDP based on purchasing power parity surpasses 45 trillion dollars.

Importantly, SCO countries make a significant contribution to the growth of the global middle class, which serves as a consumer driver for the innovation process.

The development of economic cooperation is one of the main issues on our agenda.

Importantly, SCO countries make a significant contribution to the growth of the global middle class, which serves as a consumer driver for the innovation process.

Unfortunately, the creation of the SCO Development Bank and Development Fund has been under discussion for an extended period. 

These institutions, in our view, would provide direct support for the implementation of joint projects and the gradual increase in the use of national currencies in the mutual settlements of SCO member states.

I hope that we can reach a consensus on this matter.

Kyrgyzstan places a significant emphasis on the development of multifaceted cooperation within the SCO and strives to enhance mutually beneficial economic relations with SCO member states, welcoming all initiatives aimed at improving trade and economic cooperation.

The development of economic cooperation is one of the key items on our agenda. It is crucial to continue working on strengthening collaboration in trade, production, energy, transportation, investment, finance, agriculture, customs, telecommunications, and other mutually beneficial areas, as well as advancing technologies in artificial intelligence.

Kyrgyzstan's focus on deepening cooperation within the SCO is reflected in the trade statistics.

In 2022, SCO member countries accounted for 79.0% of Kyrgyzstan's total trade turnover, with exports at 79.5% and imports at 78.8%. Compared to 2021, Kyrgyzstan's foreign trade with SCO countries increased by 1.7 times.

Furthermore, sustainable growth continues this year. In the first seven months of 2023, Kyrgyzstan's foreign trade turnover with SCO countries increased by 8.6%.

In the first half of 2023, 55% of the total foreign investment inflow into Kyrgyzstan came from SCO member countries.

Despite this positive growth trend, the economic and trade interaction between Kyrgyzstan and SCO countries, which holds substantial potential, has not been fully realized, necessitating further measures to deepen trade ties.

In light of this, I would like to outline Kyrgyzstan's vision for further strengthening multifaceted cooperation within the SCO.

To create favorable conditions for sustainable socio-economic development in the region, we propose initiating work on establishing a "common economic market" based on modern innovative development principles.

Improving the transportation systems of SCO member states will attract additional international transit volumes and significantly increase trade between our countries.

In this context, I would like to highlight the ongoing progress of the construction project of the "China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan" railway, which will connect the East and West through the "China-West Asia-Europe" route.

The approved Plan of Actions for Implementing the Concept of Interaction of Railway Administrations (Railways) of SCO Member States will enable our administrations to work on enhancing the potential of transit transport.

Strengthening cooperation in e-commerce, e-customs, and e-logistics, along with the Kyrgyzstan-initiated concept of a digital meeting for buyers and sellers from the SCO region, I am confident, will open up opportunities in this direction.

Kyrgyzstan is gradually transitioning to the principles of a "green" economy and is forming the normative and institutional framework for the subsequent implementation of "green" sectors in the economy.

Considering this, the exchange of experience and technology transfer in the development of the "green" economy within our organization will contribute to the sustainable development of our countries.

Dear colleagues,

It is important to promote the expansion of cooperation on environmental protection, climate change adaptation, and mitigation of its effects.

We propose joining efforts to combat climate change, air and water pollution, and the preservation of biodiversity.

Given the significance of this field, the upcoming year, 2024, has been declared the Year of Ecology within the SCO, and today, we will adopt the corresponding Action Plan for its implementation.

Agriculture plays a crucial role in ensuring food security for our nations. It is also sensitive to climate change.

We support the initiative put forth by Kazakhstan regarding the development and approval of a program for cooperation in the field of breeding and seed production of agricultural crops among SCO member states.

The development and implementation of renewable energy sources in the energy sector are essential for the modern world's economic development and competitiveness.

Within the SCO, there are relevant documents and mechanisms for formulating coordinated proposals and initiatives in this direction.

In this regard, we believe it is crucial to concentrate efforts on the implementation of signed and accepted documents in the field of renewable energy sources.

Tourism and cultural-humanitarian cooperation are important areas of our collaboration within the SCO, with significant potential as effective means of strengthening mutual understanding between nations.

The implementation of the Agreement on Tourism Development signed by the governments of SCO member states in 2022 remains highly relevant.

Practically all SCO countries have institutions for people-to-people diplomacy and cultural centers. It is vital to harness the potential of these institutions, especially the SCO Cultural Integration Center, which is prepared to contribute to the enhancement of cultural-humanitarian cooperation.

Dear colleagues,

As you know, the next meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government will take place in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

In this regard, I wish the Pakistani side a successful chairmanship.

Thank you for your attention.