Uzbekistan handed over the chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to India, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan Vladimir Norov said at the press conference held after the Samarkand Summit of the SCO, Report informs, referring to Sputnik-Uzbekistan.
"According to the results of the Samarkand Summit, a decision was made to hand over the chairmanship of the SCO to India. Thus, the Organization's next summit will be held in India in 2023. We will help our strategic partner, India, implement this responsible mission," he said.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was established in Shanghai in 2001 by Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. Currently, the SCO has eight members (Kazakhstan, China, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, India), four observer members (Afghanistan, Iran, Mongolia, Belarus), and nine dialogue partners (Azerbaijan, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Nepal, Armenia, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia). Political decisions have already been made regarding accepting Iran as a member of the Organization and giving the status of dialogue partner to Egypt, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, and the procedural issues are about to complete.
The main goals of the Organization are to strengthen mutual trust and neighborly relations between member states; develop effective cooperation in politics, trade and economy, science and technology, and culture, including education, energy, transport, tourism, environmental protection, and other fields; make joint efforts to achieve peace, security, and stability in the region; take steps to create a new political and economic international order.