SCO Deputy Secretary-General meets with First Deputy Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan

On 17 December 2019, SCO Deputy Secretary-General Xie Xiaoyong had a meeting with First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan Ilhomjon Nematov.

The Uzbek official welcomed the SCO Observer Mission and said the organisers of the upcoming parliamentary election in Uzbekistan would do their very best to create optimal working conditions for the mission.

Ilhomjon Nematov noted that the SCO had greatly strengthened its prestige on the international stage and had become a practical factor of security and sustainable development in the region. Moreover, he drew attention to the organisation's dynamic multifaceted development in the fields of the economy and humanitarian ties.

The First Deputy Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan updated the SCO Deputy Secretary-General on major political and socioeconomic changes underway in Uzbekistan, which have opened the country for intensive cooperation with SCO member states and other international partners aimed at strengthening bilateral and multilateral ties.

SCO Deputy Secretary-General Xie Xiaoyong pointed out that the SCO was an effective mechanism for multilateral interaction in the fields of security and broader trade, economic, scientific, educational, cultural and humanitarian ties. He added that Uzbekistan as a founding member state was playing a vital role in formulating the SCO policy and development plans and that it was committed to promoting mutually beneficial multifaceted cooperation.

The SCO Deputy Secretary-General emphasised the importance of the SCO initiatives, which Uzbekistan had supported, including the SCO heads of state's Joint Appeal to Youth, the Concept of Cooperation in Digitalisation and Information and Communications Technology and the Programme of Interregional Cooperation, as well as the Public Diplomacy Centre in Tashkent.

Xie Xiaoyong wished Ilhomjon Nematov success in holding the parliamentary election the outcome of which should boost the country's prosperity and comprehensive cooperation between Uzbekistan and other SCO member states.