Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 17 June 2022, the International Institute of Central Asia hosted a conference on the theme: "Shanghai Cooperation Organization: from Central Asia to Eurasia", dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the SCO Charter. The event was organized jointly with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The International Conference was attended by the national coordinators of the SCO member states, the Secretariat of the Organization, the SCO RATS, leading experts of analytical structures of the countries of Central Asia, Russia, China, Iran, India, Pakistan, Belarus, Azerbaijan, as well as representatives of ministries and departments of the Republic of Uzbekistan,

The main goal of the conference is to promote the idea of the potential of the SCO as a political platform for strengthening interconnectedness in Eurasia, with an emphasis on the special role of the Central Asian region, as well as to collect and summarize new ideas and expert assessments regarding the further transformation of the Organization for use in the preparation of relevant initiatives and proposals during the upcoming Samarkand summit.

During the conference, experts considered the following issues:

- issues of ensuring strategic stability and security, as well as promoting regional cooperation in Central Asia through strengthening confidence building measures between the SCO members;

- the role of the Central Asian region in the development of the SCO as a promising platform for strengthening interregional interconnectedness;

- the importance of the Central Asian region as the "geographical core" of the Organization in the light of its transformation;

- new prospects and opportunities for the further development of the SCO in connection with Iran’s forthcoming entry into the Organization;

- discussion of different concepts aimed at overcoming geographic isolation and expanding geo-economic opportunities through strengthening regional interconnectedness.

The conference has become a useful platform for an open and constructive exchange of views between national coordinators, as well as representatives of partner research institutions of the Organization’s member states on practical cooperation in the field of political, economic, humanitarian cooperation, combating terrorism, etc.