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Expansion of trade between SCO countries to be prior next decade, says Secretary General

According to the SCO Secretary General, the aggregate GDP of all member-states of the organization reached 23% of the total global GDP in 2020
SCO Secretary General Vladimir Norov Artyom Ivanov/TASS
SCO Secretary General Vladimir Norov
© Artyom Ivanov/TASS

BEIJING, September 15. /TASS/. The expansion of multilateral trade and economic cooperation is set to become the main target for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) during the next decade, SCO Secretary General Vladimir Norov told TASS on Wednesday in the run-up to the jubilee summit of the organization to be held in Dushanbe on September 16-17.

"Particularly, the intensified multilateral trade and economic cooperation are to become the main strategic task of the upcoming decade of SCO’s activities," he said.

"The SCO space is a grand platform for mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation, the implementation of joint projects covering almost all sectors of the economy," Norov said, adding that the aggregate GDP of all member-states of the organization reached 23% of the total global GDP in 2020, whereas by 2030 it is expected to rise to 35-40% of global GDP.

The declaration on SCO establishment was signed in Shanghai in June 2001 by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. In 2017, India and Pakistan became full-fledged SCO members. Moreover, four observer countries (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia) and six dialogue partners (Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey, and Sri Lanka) also participate in the work of the organization.