Meeting of SCO Council of Heads of State kicks off in Astana

Meeting of SCO Council of Heads of State kicks off in Astana

Today, the 24th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is taking place in Astana under Kazakhstan’s chairmanship. This year’s summit, themed «Strengthening Multilateral Dialogue - Striving for Sustainable Peace and Development», has attracted heads of state and government from 16 countries and leaders of various international organizations. Over 20 documents in various fields are expected to be adopted following the summit. These primarily include the Astana Declaration, which will reflect the SCO’s stance on current international and regional issues and forward-looking research, as well as the SCO Development Strategy until 2035. The meeting will also discuss the full membership of Belarus in the SCO, which previously held observer status.