SCO Heads of State Council Meeting

President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev chaired the meeting. Other participants include heads of SCO member state delegations and heads of SCO permanent governance bodies.

At the beginning of the meeting, the leaders signed a resolution on granting Belarus the status of an SCO member state.

Following the meeting, the parties signed the Astana Declaration of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

The heads of state also signed a package of other documents. They include the Council's decisions approving the draft Development Strategy of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation until 2035, the SCO Initiative on World Unity for Just Peace and Harmony, the Programme of Cooperation of the SCO Member States in Countering Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism for 2025−2027, the SCO Anti-Drug Strategy for 2024−2029 and the Strategy for the Development of Energy Cooperation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Member States until 2030.

In addition, the parties signed decisions on the Association of Investors of the SCO member states, on the approval of the Programme for the development of cooperation between the SCO member states in the field of protected natural areas and eco-tourism, and on declaring the city of Qingdao (China) the SCO tourist and cultural capital in 2024−2025. Furthermore, decisions were taken on signing the Memorandum of Understanding between the SCO Secretariat and the Central Asian Regional Information Coordination Center for Combating Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and their Precursors and on the Plan of Cooperation between the SCO Member States on Ensuring International Information Security.

Declarations of the SCO Heads of State Council on the principles of good neighbourliness, trust and partnership, on safe drinking water and sanitation and on effective waste management were adopted without signing.

An Agreement between the Governments of the SCO Member States on Cooperation in Environmental Protection was also signed during the meeting.

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The Russian President's address at the SCO summit

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Tokayev, colleagues.

First of all, I want to greet everybody and, of course, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, following the accession of the Republic of Belarus as a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

Russia gives high priority to partnership within the SCO. We can state with satisfaction that this cooperation continues to develop consistently based on the principles of equality, consideration for each other's interests, respect for the cultural and civilisational diversity, and cooperation in addressing important security issues.

With the active involvement of our Kazakhstani colleagues, an impressive package of documents and resolutions has been developed for approval at this SCO Heads of State Council Meeting. The implementation of these documents will undoubtedly strengthen the role and influence of the SCO.

The coordinated approaches of the SCO countries to key aspects of the global and regional agenda are outlined in the Astana Declaration, which has been submitted for approval at the summit. Additionally, it emphasises the commitment of all SCO countries to shaping a fair multipolar world order based on the central role of the UN, international law and the striving of sovereign states for mutually beneficial partnerships.

The long-term guidelines for the further deepening of interaction not only in politics and security but also in the economy, energy, agriculture, high technology and innovations have been incorporated in the draft decision on formulating an SCO Development Strategy until 2035. This is important for enhancing our practical cooperation in all spheres on the agenda of our organisation.

Close economic ties clearly benefit all participants. The facts speak for themselves: the average GDP growth in the SCO member states was more than 5 percent last year, and industrial growth was 4.5 percent, while the inflation rate was only 2.4 percent. At the same time, Russia's trade with SCO countries increased by 25 percent.

I would like to note in this context that our countries are increasingly using national currencies for mutual settlements. For example, the share of national currencies in Russia's transactions with SCO members has exceeded 92 percent in the first four months of this year. I would like to reiterate Russia's proposal to establish a payment and settlement system within the SCO.

Regular meetings between our economic ministers, finance ministers and central bank governors are making a substantial contribution to the development of trade and investment relations in the SCO space.

I would like to mention the successful operation of the SCO Business Council, which allows the business communities of our countries to participate in mutually beneficial joint projects. The funding of these projects is the direct responsibility of the SCO Interbank Consortium.

To be continued.

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