Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi visited Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on September 15-16, 2022, to attend the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) 2022.
- The summit was chaired by the President of Uzbekistan, H.E. Mr. Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Dignitaries
Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation; Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China; Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran; and Shehbaz Sharif, PM of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, among other leaders from the Central Asian countries.
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
The SCO was established on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai, China. The main permanent executive body of the SCO is its Secretariat, which is headquartered in Beijing, China.
- The SCO now has eight full members, including its six original members: China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. In 2017, Pakistan and India became full members.
- Secretary General of the SCO – Zhang Ming of China
Leaders of SCO Member States Sign Samarkand Declaration 2022
The Samarkand Declaration 2022 was signed by the SCO Heads of State, which contained a decision on the Comprehensive Action Plan for 2023-2027.
- It is designed to carry out the provisions of the treaty on long-term good neighbourliness, friendship, and cooperation among SCO member nations.
Some of The Significant Decisions Made at The Summit
i.The decision was made to sign the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Memorandum of Commitment to join the SCO as a member state.
ii.It was decided to begin the process of admitting the Republic of Belarus into the SCO as a member and to upgrade the status of the State of Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Republic of Maldives, the Kingdom of Bahrain & the Republic of the Union of Myanmar to SCO dialogue partners.
iii.Member States acknowledged the outcomes of the international conference commemorating the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Joint Plan of Action to implement the United Nations (UN) Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy in Central Asia (Tashkent, Capital of Uzbekistan, March 2022).
The Summit Took Note of the Following Nominations:
- The nomination of the following countries as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC): The Islamic Republic of Pakistan (2025-2026), the Kyrgyz Republic (2027-2028), the Republic of India (2028-2029), the Republic of Tajikistan (2028-2029), and the Republic of Kazakhstan (2039-2040).
- The nomination of the following countries for membership of the UNSC: The Kyrgyz Republic (2023–2025) and the People’s Republic of China (2024–2026).
- The membership of the People’s Republic of China (2024-2026) at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
- The Republic of Kazakhstan’s candidacy for President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for the period 2031-2032.
- The Republic of Tajikistan’s candidacy for membership in the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC) for the period 2024-2026.
Click Here to Read More About The “Samarkand Declaration of the Council of Heads of State of SCO”
SCO Summit 2022: Varanasi Nominated as First-Ever SCO Tourism & Cultural Capital
At the 22nd Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, the city of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, India, was nominated as the first-ever SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital for the years 2022–2023.
- The Dushanbe SCO Summit in 2021 approved the criteria for the nomination of the SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital with the aim of fostering collaboration among the SCO Member States in the areas of culture and tourism. [Dushanbe is the capital of Tajikistan.]
A number of events will be held in Varanasi throughout 2022-23 as part of this large cultural outreach programme, with guests from SCO Member States.
India Assumes Rotating SCO Presidency: To Host SCO Summit in 2023
During the 22nd Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State 2022 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, India took over the rotating presidency of the SCO from Uzbekistan.
- India will hold the presidency of the group for a year, till September 2023.
- The next meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State in 2023 will be held in India.
Bilateral Meetings held by PM Narendra Modi during SCO Summit 2022 in Samarkand
Narendra Modi, the PM of India, had bilateral meetings with the following leaders during the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO in Samarkand, Uzbekistan:
i.PM Narendra Modi met with H.E. Mr. Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, for the first time since President Raisi took office in 2021
- The development of the Shahid Behesti terminal at Chabahar Port in Iran was discussed by the two leaders.
ii.PM Narendra Modi also held bilateral discussions with H.E. Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Türkiye; Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation; &H.E. Mr. Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Recent Related News:
i.In June 2022, PM Narendra Modi visited Germany, to attend the 48th G7 Summit in 2022, which was hosted by Germany as the current chair of G7 (Group of Seven).
ii.G7 is a grouping of the world’s seven richest nations viz. the United Kingdom (UK), Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States (US). Germany previously hosted a G7 summit in 2015 at Schloss Elmau, Bavaria.
About the Republic of Uzbekistan:
Prime Minister (PM) – Abdulla Aripov
Capital – Tashkent
Currency – Uzbek Som (UZS)