Global attention was focused on the 25th Shanghai
Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China. The event brought
together more than 20 heads of state and 10 leaders of international
organizations. Speaking at the Council meeting, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart
Tokayev thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping for the high level of organization
and emphasized that Kazakhstan supports the SCO’s goals of a multipolar world
order, security, sovereignty, and multilateral trade. The Head of State also put
forward a number of initiatives. Kazakhstan views joint efforts to combat the
“three evils” — terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism — as highly
relevant. In this regard, he highlighted the necessity of establishing four SCO
centers to counter security challenges and threats.
«We consider it important to strengthen business ties between the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia. We also call on SCO member states to continue providing humanitarian and technical assistance to Afghanistan for the country’s recovery and its integration into regional and economic processes,» Tokayev said.
The contribution of SCO member states to global GDP has reached 30%. Intra-regional trade has shown significant growth, totaling more than $650 billion in 2024. The Head of State stressed the need to continue efforts in this area by strengthening trade, economic, and investment cooperation.
«Kazakhstan supports China’s initiative to establish an SCO Development Bank and is ready to take part in implementing this promising project. In addition, we propose creating an SCO Office at the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) to support promising investment projects and consolidate the activities of legal, consulting, and financial companies,» he added.
Another priority highlighted by Tokayev was strengthening cooperation in the transit and transport sector. He emphasized the potential of the Belt and Road mega-project, as well as the North–South and East–West corridors, and the Trans-Caspian route. He also touched upon the development of artificial intelligence (AI), with the market volume expected to reach $5 trillion in the near future. Therefore, Tokayev proposed establishing an SCO Expert Forum on AI.
«We are ready to hold the first such meeting on the sidelines of the influential Digital Bridge forum in Astana. In addition, Kazakhstan plans to organize a high-level conference in 2027 on the topic ‘Artificial Intelligence for the SCO Economies,’» he noted.
The Head of State identified environmental cooperation as another key priority and proposed establishing an SCO Water Research Center in Kazakhstan. He also emphasized that the upcoming year will mark the 25th anniversary of the SCO, highlighting the importance of achieving practical results by this milestone. The chairmanship has officially passed to the Kyrgyz Republic, and Tokayev extended his best wishes to the neighboring country. In total, 20 documents were signed following the summit.
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