Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, at a meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, put forward a number of important initiatives. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
The President said that on the basis of existing border cooperation centers, SCO cross-border trade zones could be launched. This would allow testing optimized methods of commodity exchange, digital procedures, and modern settlement mechanisms.
Another priority is the formation of a full-fledged investment contour. Kazakhstan supports China's initiative to establish the SCO Development Bank. The resources of the financial institution should be directed primarily to infrastructure, technology, and industrial projects. If there is a common agreement of member states, Kazakhstan is ready to host this institution and its headquarters on its territory.
The head of state proposed accelerating the creation of a modern transport and logistics framework for Eurasia. An effective approach would be the creation of a unified digital transit platform of the SCO. It would allow seamless movement of goods from the point of departure to the final recipient based on coordinated digital solutions. To strengthen the legal framework, it was proposed to develop and adopt the SCO Transport Connectivity Strategy until 2035.
Furthermore, Tokayev proposed not to limit to exchanging experience in the SCO, but to accelerate joint development of technologies and capacity building, consistently forming an artificial intelligence ecosystem. He proposed creating a network of AI centers within the SCO with the participation of leading universities, scientific institutions, and technology companies of member states.