TASHKENT (TCA) — On January 3, the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev received the Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Vladimir Norov, who took office on January 1 this year, the Jahon information agency reported.
The Uzbek leader emphasized that the approval of the representative of Uzbekistan for such a high and responsible post as the SCO Secretary-General is a historic event. For the first time, a citizen of Uzbekistan becomes the head of an international organization.
The SCO comprises eight member states: China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
At the meeting, the President highly appreciated the activities of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which has become an effective platform for open and constructive dialogue, an effective mechanism for multifaceted interaction, as well as an important factor for security and stability in the Central Asian region.
It was noted that a solid legal base of multilateral cooperation has been formed over the past period; about 30 SCO working bodies are successfully operating.
The President of Uzbekistan paid special attention to huge untapped potential for cooperation within the SCO in such areas as ensuring security, development of cooperation in trade, economy, investment, transport communications, tourism, agriculture and interregional cooperation.
It was noted that consistent steps are being taken in the country on expanding cooperation within the Organization, in particular, the SCO Public Diplomacy Center has been established in Tashkent, and the Silk Road International Tourism University has been established in Samarkand.
