Shanghai Cooperation Organization - The Times Of Central Asia

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Agricultural Trade

Kazakhstan Proposes Digital Platform for SCO Agricultural Trade

At a recent gathering of agricultural ministry officials from Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states in Beijing, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Yermek Kenzhekhanuly, proposed establishing a unified digital platform to streamline and enhance agricultural trade across the bloc. According to the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the country exported $5.1 billion worth of agricultural products in 2024, a 3.9% year-on-year increase to 16.1 million tons. Notably, 69% of this trade involved nine SCO member countries, underscoring both regional interdependence and the potential for expanded agricultural cooperation. The SCO includes Kazakhstan, China, Russia, Belarus, India, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. “We view the agricultural sector as an area for strategic partnership, not competition,” Kenzhekhanuly stated. He emphasized Kazakhstan's readiness to help develop a unified agricultural space grounded in trust, coordination, and complementarity. The proposed digital platform would incorporate tools for electronic certification, logistics tracking, and product traceability. The Kazakh delegation also stressed the importance of harmonizing technical regulations and phytosanitary standards to facilitate mutual trade and eliminate non-tariff barriers. The meeting concluded with the signing of the Protocol of the Tenth Meeting of SCO Ministers of Agriculture, reaffirming the member states' commitment to deepening cooperation in the agricultural sector. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kazakhstan is also working to diversify its agricultural export markets, including recent wheat shipments to North Africa.

Tajikistan Elections

Tajikistan Announces Preliminary Parliamentary Election Results; OSCE Absent

Bakhtiyor Khudoyorzoda, the chairman of Tajikistan's Central Commission for Elections and Referenda (CCER), has announced the preliminary results of the March 2 parliamentary elections to the Assembly of Representatives. According to Khudoyorzoda, 4.71 million of the 5.52 million registered voters participated in the election, representing an 85.3% turnout. The election results for party-list voting were as follows: The People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan secured the most support, receiving 2,435,541 votes (51.9%). The Agrarian Party of Tajikistan garnered 986,887 votes (21%). The Economic Reform Party of Tajikistan received 595,281 votes (12.7%). The Socialist Party of Tajikistan obtained 248,064 votes (5.3%). The Democratic Party of Tajikistan received 237,536 votes (5.1%). The Communist Party of Tajikistan received 89,738 votes (1.9%), failing to meet the 5% threshold required for parliamentary representation. Additionally, 50,895 voters chose the "against all" option. As a result of the party-list vote count, the 22 parliamentary seats allocated through the national proportional system were distributed as follows: People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan - 12 seats Agrarian Party of Tajikistan - 5 seats Economic Reform Party of Tajikistan - 3 seats Socialist Party of Tajikistan - 1 seat Democratic Party of Tajikistan - 1 seat The Communist Party of Tajikistan did not secure any seats. In total, five of the six registered parties gained representation in the Majlisi Oli, Tajikistan’s parliament. The remaining parliamentary seats were allocated through single-mandate districts. On February 6, 2025, the OSCE/ODIHR canceled a planned election observer mission, stating that the Tajik authorities' failure to accredit the observers had "denied the people of Tajikistan an impartial and independent assessment of the elections." A mission from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, meanwhile, characterized the election as "transparent, credible and democratic." In the latest presidential elections, held in 2020, incumbent Emomali Rahmon won a fifth consecutive term, securing a purported 92.08% of the vote. Rahmon has been president since 1994, having previously led the country as Chairman of the Supreme Assembly from 1992 to 1994. TCA has previously reported on long prison sentences for Tajik opposition figures. Elections to the National Assembly will be held on March 28, 2025.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Economy Minister: 70% of Tajikistan’s Trade is With SCO Countries

The Pakistani capital of Islamabad has hosted the 23rd meeting of the Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Member States responsible for Foreign Economic and Trade Activities. The Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Tajikistan, Zavqi Zavqizoda, who participated in the meeting, said that the country considers the development of relations within the SCO as one of its foreign policy priorities. “Foreign trade turnover between Tajikistan and the SCO countries demonstrates steady growth, and every year, more than 70% of the republic’s foreign trade is with SCO countries,” Zavqizoda said. He recalled that the SCO accounts for almost half of the world’s population and 27% of global GDP, making the region a massive market with great opportunities. Zavqizoda noted that Tajikistan initiated the economic development strategy for the next five years with the SCO, which was developed and adopted by the organization's member states. He proposed to the participants a plan related to developing and implementing large infrastructure projects and expanding cooperation in digital and green economy, green energy, and e-commerce. It was also noted that wide use of transit opportunities of Tajikistan is envisaged. The Times of Central Asia has reported that Tajikistan seeks to become a central international transit hub. In the next two years, 317 kilometers of international highways will be commissioned in Tajikistan. In the remaining months of 2024, Tajikistan will continue implementing projects for highway reconstruction, with the construction of 32 bridges, five tunnels with a length of 11.2 km, and seven avalanche corridors aiming to turn the country into an international transit route.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Erdogan: Turkey Wants to Become Full SCO Member

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced his country's aspiration to become a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), at a press conference in Washington after the conclusion of the NATO summit. "Turkey's goal, which is now an observer in the SCO, is full membership. Now, it should join the Shanghai Five," Erdogan stated. The Turkish president attended the SCO summit held in Astana on July 3-4. SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming said that despite its membership of NATO, Turkey actively participates in the organization's activities, which are not directed against other states. He emphasized that interaction with Ankara is based on the principles set out in the SCO charter and is in line with the "Shanghai spirit."

Shanghai Cooperation Organization

SCO Summit: A Battle for Influence in Central Asia

For Central Asian countries, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a tool that allows them to improve their position in the global arena, and develop closer economic ties with other members of the world’s largest multilateral group. But for Russia and China, the SCO is an instrument that gives them an opportunity to strengthen their influence in the strategically important region of Central Asia. Last week, the SCO (whose members are Russia, China, India, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, as well as Belarus, the entrant at the meeting in Astana on July 3-4) held the summit of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO in the Kazakh capital of Astana where its leaders adopted a series of documents – from the Astana Declaration, underscoring the organization’s role in bolstering global peace, security and stability, through the SCO Development Strategy until 2035, to the group’s Economic Development Strategy’s Action Plan until 2030. Prior to the meeting of what is often described as “the world’s least known and least analyzed” multilateral group, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev repeatedly stated that, over the past 20 years it was not possible to implement a single major economic project under the auspices of the SCO. Indeed, ever since its foundation in 2001, the SCO has mostly been focusing on security issues, and during the summit in Astana security was yet again at the top of the agenda. But as the largest Central Asian nation’s Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko told me at the briefing with the foreign journalists on July 4, SCO members still work more on a bilateral rather than on a multilateral basis. In his view, advancing economic cooperation within the organization of very diverse nations is not an easy task. Quite aware of that, China seeks to strengthen its economic presence in Central Asia through other formats such as the Belt and Road Initiative, and the China-plus-Central Asia format. In the past, Beijing was actively pushing for closer economic integration between SCO members, but Russia reportedly blocked Chinese initiatives. As a result, the People’s Republic began to sign bilateral agreements with regional countries, aiming to strengthen its role in Central Asia. Kazakhstan, as the region’s largest economy, is no exception. Despite being a Russian ally in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), and a member of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union, Astana seems to see Beijing, rather than Moscow, as the de facto leader of the SCO. As Vassilenko stressed, out of 10,000 people who came to Astana for the summit, more than half of them were Chinese, which indicates that the SCO holds a huge importance in Beijing’s foreign policy. Moreover, Chinese President Xi Jinping seems to have received a warmer welcome in the Kazakh capital than Russian leader Vladimir Putin or the heads of states of other SCO members. At the airport, where Xi was welcomed by his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, a group of Kazakh children sang the song "Ode to the Motherland" in Chinese, while Chinese...

Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Tokayev Calls For Expanded SCO to Play Greater Role on Global Stage

A meeting entitled “Strengthening Multilateral Dialogue – Striving for Sustainable Peace and Development” was held to conclude the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Astana on July 4. The meeting was was held in the "SCO Plus" format. and was attended by the leaders of the SCO full member states who participated in the Summit earlier in the day, plus leaders of the organization's observer countries and dialogue partners. These included the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, presidents Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey and Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The SCO Plus session of the Summit took on greater importance this year, amid suggestions that the alliance is primed to expand next year. Countries interested in joining the SCO as full members include Turkey, Qatar and Egypt. In his speech at the meeting, Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized the role that the SCO can play as a stabilizing force in the international arena. “Today the world is faced with serious challenges caused by unprecedented geopolitical contradictions and growing conflict potential,” said Tokayev. “The international security architecture is under threat, which could lead to dire consequences for all of humanity. In such a fateful period, we are entrusted with a huge responsibility for strengthening peace, stability, and security through collective efforts at the regional and global levels. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, taking into account its authority, significant economic and human resources, is capable of developing effective solutions to achieve sustainable development goals and overcome modern challenges.” Concerning the role of the United Nations, Tokayev said that its potential is far from being exhausted. “Our common task is to strengthen the role of the UN as the main international institution for ensuring global security, capable of effectively confronting the challenges of the 21st century. The voice of the SCO should and will sound louder in the international arena, promoting a consolidated position on various problems of our time,” he emphasized. In his own speech, Gutteres referred to the SCO as "a valuable partner of the United Nations". With reference to strengthening trade and economic ties, Tokayev said: “At the current stage, the economies of the SCO member countries are demonstrating high growth rates of 4% to 9%. The share of the SCO states in global GDP is 30% already. Today, the foreign trade of the SCO participating countries exceeds $8 trillion, which is equivalent to a quarter of all world trade.” Tokayev emphasized the fact that economic growth in Asia is largely due to the SCO states. On behalf of Kazakhstan, he also welcomed China’s intention to expand access for SCO countries to its market, and increase trade turnover with the SCO member states to $3 trillion. “It is important for us to fully unleash the colossal economic potential of the SCO. The interaction of the SCO with such integration associations as the EAEU, BRICS and ASEAN opens up broad prospects. A powerful driver for sustainable growth in global trade is further strengthening of transport connectivity. More than...