President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov on Friday took part in the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as a guest of honor. In his speech, the Turkmen leader emphasized the high position of the SCO in countering modern challenges and threats.
The summit in Dushanbe gathered the leaders of the Organization's member states – President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan, and leaders of SCO observer states, including President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of Iran Seyed Ebrahim Raisi and President of Mongolia Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, the country’s official media reports.
Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, President of China Xi Jinping and President of Russia Vladimir Putin took part in the summit via video link.
Speaking at the Summit, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov said the SCO's capabilities and accumulated experience, in addition to the traditional areas of joint activities, are in demand in areas of minimizing the negative impact of the pandemic, restoring continental economic and transport links, infrastructure and logistics.
The Turkmen Leader informed the Summit participants that Turkmenistan, together with the UN, plans to host an International Conference of Landlocked Developing Countries in April 2022. He added that Turkmen side views it as a good opportunity for a concrete and practical dialogue on international transport cooperation in emergency and post-crisis periods and invited the SCO member states to participate in the conference.
“We highly appreciate cooperation with the SCO and are convinced of its prospects for the accelerated development of the Central Asian region, turning it into an important continental transport, logistics and economic center, a solid link of stability and partnership in Eurasia,” President Berdimuhamedov said during the summit.
Concluding his speech, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov confirmed Turkmenistan's readiness for constructive joint activities.
The SCO is an international organization founded by the leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in 2001. Now the organization also includes India and Pakistan. Tajikistan chairs the SCO in 2021. This year, Iran was granted the full SCO membership.
