The upcoming July 3-4 summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Astana is poised to unite its member countries and open a new chapter of cooperation, according to Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will be on a state visit to Kazakhstan from July 2-4.
"In addition to the state visit, I will participate in the SCO summit in Astana. Under Kazakhstan's presidency, significant and fruitful work has been done, enhancing the authority of our organization. The Chinese side highly appreciates this. I am confident that with joint efforts, the Astana summit will end on a positive note, uniting the big SCO family and opening a new page of cooperation," Xi stated in an article titled "China and Kazakhstan: Common Aspiration to New Horizons," published by the Kazinform agency.
Xi highlighted the aligned positions of China and Kazakhstan on international and regional affairs, noting their shared commitment to common, comprehensive, joint, and sustainable security. Both nations strive for world peace, global development, and a just world order. "We have together created the China-Central Asia format, cooperate closely within the UN, the SCO, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia, and other multilateral platforms. We actively support each other's constructive initiatives on international cooperation and resolutely defend common strategic, security, and development interests," he added.
The 24th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State will be held on July 4 at the Palace of Independence in Astana. The event will be attended by the organization's Secretary General Zhang Ming, as well as UN Secretary General António Guterres and heads of several international organizations.
The SCO was founded on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai, initially comprising six countries: Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan joined in 2017, followed by Iran in 2023. Belarus is expected to complete its membership process soon.
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Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS