ASTANA — Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Zhang Ming congratulated President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on the successful summit and Kazakhstan’s presidency during a media briefing on July 4 on the sidelines of the SCO Summit.
Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Zhang Ming. Photo credit: sectsco.org
He praised the Kazakh chairmanship for its substantive and meaningful work. He noted that the Astana summit injected new impetus into the SCO’s activities and marked a significant chapter in the organization’s history.
“Since assuming the rotating presidency in July 2023, Kazakhstan has organized nearly 150 events in various fields, with a special emphasis on economy, investment, transportation, culture, humanities, and environmental protection,” he said.
Zhang Ming noted that the summit addressed critical areas of the organization, particularly energy, people-to-people exchanges, and combating terrorism, separatism, and extremism. Entering its third decade, the SCO has evolved into a robust platform for enhancing mutual trust and cooperation, expanding multilateral dialogue, and deepening mutually beneficial partnerships. According to him, as an authoritative multilateral organization in the contemporary international relations system, the SCO is pivotal in maintaining stability amid the current complex geopolitical landscape.
He underlined the importance of intensifying practical cooperation across various fields to ensure the sustained development and prosperity of the SCO region, adhering to the purposes and objectives of the SCO charter, and upholding the principles of the Shanghai Spirit.
He said, “A significant outcome was completing the procedure for Belarus to join the SCO as a full member state.”
Zhang Ming said that the year 2024 was declared the SCO Year of Environment, and China acknowledged the prompt actions of the Kazakh presidency in forming common positions on key issues, including the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and terrorist attacks in some SCO member states. He said that China’s chairmanship this year marks the fifth time the country has assumed the rotating presidency of the SCO.
The Astana Declaration and 25 resolutions on political, security, economic, and people-to-people cooperation were adopted during the SCO Summit in Astana. These included the approval of the SCO Initiative On World Unity for Just Peace, Harmony, and Development, the resolution declaring Qingdao, China, as the SCO capital of tourism and culture for 2024-2025, and three statements on the principles of good neighborliness, trust, and partnership.
Zhang Ming served as the SCO Chair from 2022 until July 4, 2024. His tenure concluded at the SCO Summit in Astana, where he was succeeded by Nurlan Yermekbayev.
