The common voice of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is becoming increasingly stronger on the international stage, said SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
The SCO's common position represents the views of 10 major states in Eurasia. Yermekbayev spoke at the conference "Shanghai Cooperation Organisation: 25 Years of Evolution and Transformation."
"At the same time, we see that there are shortcomings in the SCO's work. Therefore, the main task set by the heads of state is the comprehensive modernization of the organization's activities," he said.
Yermekbayev noted the need to involve scientific-expert university communities in the SCO's work and create new platforms for exchanging views, taking into account prospects and the demands of the time.
According to him, trade volume in the SCO space is growing: trade turnover between member countries increased by 7% and exceeded $700 billion in 2024. One of the SCO's goals is to create conditions for the free movement of goods, capital, and services, he added.
"At last year's summit, the SCO member states made a political decision to establish the SCO Development Bank," Yermekbayev said.
Member countries implement joint cultural and humanitarian projects, introduce scientific and technical achievements and innovations. He also said that about 20 applications have been submitted to join the SCO.
The organization unites 10 member states. Two states have observer status, and another 15 states have the status of SCO dialogue partners.
Today, the SCO has: a population of over 3.4 billion people, a territory of about 36 million square kilometers, i.e., a quarter of the world's landmass, a quarter of global GDP, and more than 15% of international trade.