Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) are speaking at the summit in Bishkek. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
Opening the meeting, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov stated that over the past quarter century, the SCO has evolved from a mechanism for strengthening trust at borders into one of the leading international organizations, proving its effectiveness and relevance.
"Speaking about the role and importance of our organization, it is important to note that SCO member states unite more than 40% of the world's population and account for about a quarter of global GDP," he said.
According to Japarov, the philosophy of Kyrgyzstan's chairmanship in the SCO was the folk wisdom "Unity is the foundation of prosperity." As the Kyrgyz leader noted, these words reflect the essence of the organization.
The SCO has held 200 events aimed at developing cooperation in security, economic and transport ties, cultural and humanitarian contacts, digital development and artificial intelligence, Japarov added.