Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- During an international conference on the theme "SCO: reunification and renewal" held in New Delhi on 23-24 March, foreign experts highly appreciated the initiatives of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, announced during the Samarkand summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in September 2022.

Thus, at the opening of the conference, the special importance of "spreading the spirit of cooperation and partnership" to the observer countries and partners in the dialogue of the SCO was noted. According to Indian experts, "this will help us to promote the idea of the "Samarkand spirit", set out by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the SCO summit in 2022."

As it was emphasized, the "Samarkand spirit" is akin to the Indian spirit "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam", which means "the world is one family." The SCO should become a platform for interaction and interaction in the space of Eurasia.”

Foreign experts also emphasized the important role of the Joint Appeal of the SCO Heads of States to Youth and the Action Program for its implementation, adopted on the initiative of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the SCO summit in the Chinese city of Qingdao in 2018. According to them, the implementation of this initiative is more important than ever in preventing the younger generation of a large SCO family from falling under the influence of various destructive ideologies.

The forum participants were heads of diplomatic missions, as well as experts from leading think tanks of member states, observer countries and partners of the SCO, including Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Belarus, Iran, Mongolia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE , Maldives, etc.

From Uzbekistan, Deputy Director of the International Institute of Central Asia Batyr Tursunov took part. In his speech, the Uzbek expert noted that the SCO countries should continue to adhere to the principles of consensus, non-alignment and openness to constructive dialogue and international cooperation. The importance of maintaining the status of the “geographic core” of the SCO for Central Asia against the backdrop of the expansion of the “SCO family” was emphasized.

Issues of strengthening transport and economic interconnectedness in the SCO space were in the focus of special attention. Among them are projects for the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway and the Transfghan corridor Termez-Mazar-i-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar.

In modern conditions, the initiative of Uzbekistan to create a common space for industrial and technological cooperation based on the launch of the New Economic Dialogue of the SCO is acquiring special significance. This includes the elimination of trade and customs barriers, the formation of guaranteed and stable production and supply chains, the promotion of joint localization and import substitution programs, the promotion of mutual investment in the development of infrastructure, industry and the service sector.

This conference is organized by the Indian Council of World Affairs as part of India’s first SCO Presidency. The summit of the heads of the member states of the Organization is scheduled for September 2023.