On 26 November 2020, Deputy Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Yerik Ashimov took part in an online international macroeconomic workshop, The COVID-19 Pandemic: The Global Economy's Symptoms and Treatment, hosted by the Eurasian Economic Commission in conjunction with the Interstate Bank.
Representatives of international organisations, integration associations, national and supranational regulatory bodies, development institutions and academia took part in the discussion. The participants discussed the current challenges and risks facing the global and regional economy, including in the context of the pandemic potentially affecting sustainable growth and the search for new economic growth drivers.
In his opening remarks, Minister in charge of Integration and Macroeconomics of the Eurasian Economic Commission Sergei Glazyev highlighted the specifics of modern economic relations and the importance of joint investment based on combining competitive advantages of different countries for the benefit of international economic cooperation.
In his remarks, the Deputy Secretary-General outlined the SCO's vision of challenges and opportunities for regional integration, and provided an overview of the organisation's economic activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Ashimov placed particular emphasis on promoting the importance of the SCO as an effective platform for developing collective efforts to overcome the political and socioeconomic fallout of the pandemic. He noted that amid accelerating digital transformation, it is becoming clear that digital economy and cross-border e-commerce will play an even greater role in the global economy's post-pandemic recovery. "By developing digital literacy in the SCO member states, we arecreating a proper environment for introducing the much needed digital services throughout the organisation's space," the Deputy Secretary-General said.
In closing, Mr Ashimov pointed out the importance of the Memorandum of Understanding between the SCO Secretariat and the Eurasian Economic Commission, which will create opportunities for productive cooperation between these two regional entities.