TASHKENT, August 29. /TASS/. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has called the Shanghai Cooperation Organization an attractive and widely sought-after model of international cooperation in a difficult international environment, he said in a story he contributed to the China Daily on the eve of the organization's summit.
In the story headlined Uzbekistan and the SCO: cooperation for universal peace and prosperity, Mirziyoyev focused on the challenges and threats that have been on the agenda lately — the intensification of geopolitical competition and the growing conflict potential of the leading powers, the growth of protectionism, the effects of climate change in Central Asia, the prevention of the use of artificial intelligence for military purposes and its transformation into a global threat.
"Without exaggeration, under these conditions, the SCO is becoming an attractive and widely sought-after model of international cooperation, uniting states on the principles of equality, mutual consideration of interests and non-interference in internal affairs," he said.
Mirziyoyev said that the organization rejects outdated concepts of the Cold war, overcoming the principle of "zero sum" and the confrontation of civilizations. "The SCO is not a challenge to the existing structures, but a response to the needs of a new, just world order based not on force, but on dialogue," the Uzbek president noted.
On the participation of the president of Uzbekistan in the SCO summit in China
On August 29, Mirziyoyev, speaking at a festive event on the occasion of the 34th anniversary of independence of the republic in Tashkent, confirmed his participation in the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. It will be held in Tianjin on August 31 - September 1. According to the Uzbek leader, his country's delegation will take part in many meetings and events.
The summit will be attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, leaders of more than 20 countries, as well as heads of 10 international organizations.