On 19 March 2025, Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Nurlan Yermekbayev paid an official visit to the Kyrgyz Republic. While in Bishkek, he held a meeting with Minister of Digital Development of Kyrgyzstan Azamat Zhamankulov.
The officials engaged in a detailed discussion on the state and prospects of cooperation between SCO member states in this specialized sphere. The SCO Secretary-General noted that the current year had been proclaimed the Year of Sustainable Development of the SCO, which provides the Organisation with a unique opportunity to invigorate cooperation, particularly in the sphere of digitalisation. He emphasised the readiness of the SCO Secretariat to assist member states in their efforts to promote this highly topical issue.
Nurlan Yermekbayev informed the Minister about multiple proposals to streamline mechanisms for intra-SCO collaboration, including plans for assessing the efficiency specialised mechanisms’ work within the SCO.
The Minister mentioned Kyrgyzstan’s proposals to expand digital collaboration between SCO member states, including support for high-quality digital economic development and ways of integrating digital technologies into the economy. He noted the importance of holding the SCO Youth Digital Forum in Bishkek this year and underscored the Kyrgyz side’s commitment to further enhancing regional cooperation in the field of cutting-edge technologies.
Additionally, the officials discussed intra-SCO collaboration in the field of artificial intelligence, one of the most popular market segments. They stated that new initiatives aiming to jointly develop and introduce advanced technologies remained highly relevant.