Recently, PM Modi visited Samarkand, Uzbekistan to attend the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Details –
PM Modi participated in the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO.
Samarkand Declaration of the Council of Heads of State of SCO was released after the summit.
After the summit, Uzbekistan handed over the rotating presidency of the SCO to India. India will host the next SCO summit as a chairman of organisation in 2023.
About the SCO –
SCO is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation, created in June 2001 in Shanghai (China).
6 Founding members included Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
This organisation represents approximately 42% of the world’s population, 22% of its land area and 20% of its GDP.
In 2021 summit held in Dushanbe, members decided to include Iran as a full member.
Observers –
Before 2021, SCO had four observer states. This included – Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia.
In 2021, Iran became a full member and Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar were added as new observer states. Hence, currently, SCO has 6 observer states namely — Afghanistan, Belarus, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar.
Decisions taken –
Decision on the Comprehensive Action Plan for 2023-2027 for implementation of provisions of the Treaty on Long-Term Good Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation among the Member States.
This was the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on Long-term Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation of the SCO Member States.
Decision to Develop Interconnectivity and Create Efficient Transport Corridors among members states.
Decision on inclusion of new members —
Iran to become a member State of the SCO
Iran was admitted in SCO in 2021 and will become full member in 2023.
Launched the procedure of admitting Belarus as a member of the SCO.
Granting Maldives, Bahrain, Myanmar, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, the status of SCO dialogue partner.
Tourist and Cultural Capital of the SCO in 2022-2023 —
The member countries decided to declare Varanasi, India, as the Tourist and Cultural Capital of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in 2022-2023.
In 2021 summit, it was decided to nominate SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital with an objective of promoting cooperation in the field of culture and tourism.
Hence, Varanasi became the first Cultural capital of SCO.
In Order to increase the cooperation with UNESCO, member countries of SCO decided to sign an MoU between the Secretariat of the SCO and the UNESCO (2023-2027).
Other areas of cooperation –
Member countries signed agreement on cooperation in various fields including — Tourism, Museum affairs, Digital Literacy Development, Artificial Intelligence and Telemedicine.
Programme of Cooperation in the Use of Renewable Energy Sources was signed the between Member States.
Action Plan for Scientific and Technical Cooperation in Priority Areas (2022-2025) was also finalised.
The leaders also finalised the concept of interaction between member states in the field of smart agriculture and agro- innovation.
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