Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- As part of the chairmanship of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the SCO member states began its work today in Tashkent.

A ceremony of joint photographing of the participants of the event took place.

Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Vladimir Norov opened a meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the SCO member states in Tashkent.

“To date, over 70 major events have been held under the chairmanship of Uzbekistan, in cooperation with partners, 15 of them at the ministerial level. They were aimed at fully unlocking the great potential of multifaceted cooperation within the SCO at a new stage in its development. Despite the post-pandemic difficulties and the difficult international context, the SCO continues to be a popular and effective platform for direct communication, maintaining interstate dialogue on many key issues, and also contributes to the solution of the common tasks we face.

It is necessary to deeply analyze and take a fresh look at the still unused reserves of the SCO. The most effective way to realize the enormous potential of our Organization is to intensify real cooperation in such demanded areas as trade, transport, industrial and technological cooperation, digital transformation and artificial intelligence, the green economy and climate adaptation. In particular, Uzbekistan's initiative to create an industrial zone "Uzbekistan - SCO" in Samarkand region is aimed at achieving these tasks.

This is, first of all, building up practical cooperation in popular and promising areas such as industrial cooperation, intra-regional trade, transport interconnectedness, innovation, poverty reduction, digital transformation, green economy,” the Uzbek Foreign Minister noted.

Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Tleuberdi said: I express our readiness to continue to provide comprehensive support to the chairmanship of Uzbekistan in the Organization.

I am sure that the results of today's meeting will provide the maximum content for the upcoming Samarkand summit and will contribute to its successful holding.

Minister of External Affairs the Republic of India Subrahmanyam Jaishankar:

- We are grateful to the Uzbek side for the fruitful chairmanship of the SCO and its efforts to strengthen regional cooperation within the Organization. India actively supports the initiatives of the Republic of Uzbekistan and is convinced that the SCO Summit in Samarkand will be successful.

Member of the State Council, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China Wang Yi:

- The Uzbek side has done a great job during the presidency of the SCO to promote the development of the Organization.

The meeting is the final stage of preparation for the summit of the Organization, which is scheduled for 15-16 September 2022 in Samarkand.