SCO Summit in Bishkek - most important political event of year

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization has been strengthening its international prestige every year. The image of this organization is growing, and the SCO itself is building far-reaching strategic plans to strengthen its position in the world political arena. The upcoming Summit in Bishkek can give a significant impetus towards strengthening of the organization in the world. The summit should not only raise the urgency of the existing problems, but also come to a common understanding in their resolution. This summit must meet the expectations that are associated with it. Namely, after this event, member states should begin to implement the work under the treaties and documents that will be signed in the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
Expert Pavel Dementyev told Kabar Agency that the SCO Summit is a real opportunity for Kyrgyzstan to declare itself in full force.
"This is a platform for the implementation of many plans and ideas. Therefore, it is important not only to hold this event at the highest level, but also to take advantage of this opportunity for its strategic goals. What I mean? It is necessary to demonstrate the huge economic potential of the country. I think that competent specialists have already prepared a number of interesting projects and presentations. Growth in all directions in the near future will depend on this," he said.
It should be noted that the modern time is characterized by cardinal changes in the system of international relations. The influence of global problems has grown, contemporary geopolitical realities predetermined the increasing role of Central Asia in the global security system. The desire for security in the region, the existence of common socio-economic problems, threats and challenges, the need for policy coordination for a successful response to external influences prompted Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to create the Shanghai Five in 1996, later renamed "Shanghai Forum". After joining Uzbekistan in 2001, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was established.
"In the SCO, an agreement was reached on a collective basis on guarantees of independence and integrity of states on the principles of trust. At the initial stage, all the forces of the organization were subordinated to the achievement of one political goal, this is security in the region. But over time, economic cooperation began to increase. Today, new priorities have been identified, both in matters of a political nature and in the development of trade and economic cooperation based on the principles of equality and mutual benefit. This is a very important aspect of the work and interaction within this association. The SCO may soon become a very significant player on the political map of the world. Kyrgyzstan should seriously aim to become an important element for the SCO," the expert emphasized.
We have repeatedly said that participation in the SCO is considered by Kyrgyzstan to be almost a priority task. The SCO for the Kyrgyz Republic is seen as an excellent development platform for many vectors such as: political, economic, social and social, humanitarian and cultural.
The most important event will be the SCO Council of Heads of States, which will be held on June 14 of this year.
The leaders of 11 countries will come to participate in the summit of the heads of the SCO member states: Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan. The presidents of Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia will participate in the event as observers. Following the summit, about 20 documents are expected to be signed.
It also became known what topics the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin will touch upon during the Summit. At the SCO meeting in Bishkek, the Russian leader will set out Russia's approaches to resolving the situation in Syria, expressing views on the issues of the SCO-Afghanistan Contact Group, the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan, the Iranian nuclear program and the fight against terrorism, RIA Novosti news agency said referring to Russian leader’s spokesman Yuri Ushakov.
"Putin focuses on the need to further enhance the SCO’s contribution to the formation of a global world order with the UN playing a central role, expanding the organization’s interaction with both the UN and other international structures, primarily on coordinating joint efforts in the fight against terrorism and extremism," Ushakov said.
He clarified that the head of the Russian Federation plans to touch on these topics during the meeting in a narrow composition. At the meeting in an expanded format - with the participation of representatives of partner countries and leaders of international organizations - Putin will focus on the priorities of the Russian presidency in the SCO in 2019-2020.
Sergey Luzyanin, the Director of the Institute of Far Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences told at a press conference in Bishkek that within the framework of the SCO Summit, there are three areas that are dominant and priority for Russia.
"First of all, this is the direction of economic cooperation, the direction of security and humanitarian cooperation. In these three areas there is a specificity of today. The agenda of the SCO Summit is affected by the trade war between China and the United States. It is not by chance that the Chairman of the People's Republic of China plans to hold a number of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the SCO Summit," he said.
Luzyanin said that at the SCO Summit, economic issues will be on the agenda, in particular, in the direction of interbank cooperation and in the investment area.
"The chairmanship is held under the auspices of Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyzstan is one of the key players of the SCO. There are needs for the development of infrastructure and investment cooperation. The issue of building a railway through Kyrgyzstan has long been discussed. There are a lot of questions of interest to the hosts of the Summit," he added.
It should be noted that the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev will take part in the summits of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Bishkek on June 13-14 and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Dushanbe on June 15 this year. The agenda of the SCO Summit includes issues of further development and strengthening of multilateral cooperation in priority areas. There will be also an exchange of views on topical issues of an international and regional nature. It is planned that, following the summit, the Bishkek Declaration will be adopted, and a package of documents on the expansion of a multifaceted partnership within the organization will be signed. The theme of the fifth CICA will be "A unified view of a safer and more prosperous region". Over 30 delegations of participating countries and observers, as well as international and regional organizations will take part in its work. As part of participation in summits in Bishkek and Dushanbe, the President of Uzbekistan will hold a number of bilateral meetings with the heads of foreign delegations.
President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbay Jeenbekov stressed that 2019 will be held under the auspices of the SCO and the holding of all the planned events at the SCO Summit is an important event for Kyrgyzstan.
The head of state noted that special attention should be paid to strengthening the authority of the SCO in the international arena, strengthening cooperation in the fight against terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking, deepening political, trade, economic, cultural, humanitarian and investment cooperation.
Observer Evgeny Donchenko noted that the SCO Summit in Kyrgyzstan is really a landmark event that promises to bring rapid development.
"Kyrgyzstan needs not only to hold this event at the highest level, but also to interest the states that are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization with its investment attractiveness. I am sure that the Summit will also discuss the construction of the railway, which become a strategic transportation route. Thanks to this, one can speak quite specifically about the implementation of the One Belt, One Road project.
As for the interaction of Kyrgyzstan and the SCO, then there is confidence that this year will be the key and in many ways decisive for strengthening the country's role in this organization. The SCO Summit in Bishkek - without question, is the main political event of the year, both for the country and the region as a whole. The upcoming event will address the most topical issues and problems. Kyrgyzstan should declare itself not only as one of the most attractive countries of Central Asia, but also show its initiative in many areas of cooperation within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Kabar News Agency