Kazakhstan to boost trade coop with Afghanistan
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Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan - Minister of Trade and Integration Serik Zhumangarin unveiled the government's plans on cooperation with Afghanistan, Kazinform correspondent reports.
We cooperate and trade with Afghanistan. The trade volume amounts to 1 billion US dollars, which is more compared to the trade with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. Politics is politics, and economy is economy. We plan to ramp up this trade cooperation. There are real prospects for delivering wheat, flour, and seed oil there [to Afghanistan - edit]. Why should we refuse from this opportunity?" said Zhumangarin on the sidelines of the Government’s meeting today.
We have already opened a trading house of Kazakhstan there and appointed our representative who will coordinate all this work, because Afghanistan is a big and diverse country. We need to study the market and get familiarized ourselves with local business communities. I want to invite Afghan businessmen here and hold a business forum, to enable them to see Kazakhstan and our opportunities. Afghanistan is a rich country from the viewpoint of subsoil use," said the Minister.
Earlieк, Official Spokesperson of the Kazakh MFA Aibek Smadyarov said Kazakhstan planned to open a trading house in Afghanistan's Herat.He also informed, that Kazakhstan would accept the diplomats of the new Taliban regime of Afghanistan (prohibited foreign organization in Kazakhstan). According to him, a positive decision was taken in regards to Afghan administration's request on accreditation of its diplomats in Kazakhstan.
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Xi warns SCO members of real threat from Cold War mentality
Images | Xinhua/Xie Huanchi
Chinese President Xi Jinping here Thursday called on the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to ensure security in the face of real threat from the Cold War mentality, Xinhua reports.
Xi made the remarks when attending the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO.
He urged the member states to adhere to the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, address complex and intertwined security challenges through dialogue and coordination, and respond to the profoundly changing international landscape with a win-win approach, so as to build a world of lasting peace and universal security.
Xi spoke highly of Kazakhstan's positive efforts and significant contributions to improving the operational mechanism of the SCO and deepening cooperation in various fields during its rotating presidency, and welcomed Belarus to attend the SCO summit as a member state for the first time.
He pointed out that the SCO was founded at the turn of the century when confrontations and divisions left by the Cold War had yet to be resolved.
The SCO founding members made a historical decision to pursue peaceful development, commit to good-neighborliness and friendship, and build a new type of international relations, Xi said, adding that the "Shanghai Spirit" has become a shared value and guiding principle for the member states.
Noting that the SCO has had its 10th member state since its establishment 23 years ago, Xi said the foundation for SCO cooperation has become more solid as the SCO "big family" has growing membership which covers three continents around the world.
As the world is faced with accelerating changes unseen in a century, the human society is standing at a crossroads of history again, Xi said.
Xi pointed out that the SCO stands on the right side of history, fairness and justice, and is of great significance to the world.
He called on SCO members to safeguard the right to development in the face of real risks of "small yard, high fences."
Xi noted that SCO members should adhere to mutual benefits and inclusiveness, join hands to push for scientific and technological innovation, keep industrial and supply chains stable and smooth, stimulate the internal impetus of regional economies, and work towards common development goals.
SCO members should consolidate unity and jointly oppose external interference in the face of the real challenges of interference and division, he said.
The SCO members should firmly support each other, accommodate each other's concerns, handle internal differences with a spirit of harmony, and resolve cooperation difficulties by seeking common ground while reserving differences, and firmly grasp the destiny of our countries and the peace and development of the region in our own hands, Xi said.
The SCO has withstood the test of the changing international landscape, the root cause of which lies in the fact that SCO members remain committed to the fine tradition of solidarity and coordination, the way of cooperation featuring equality and mutual benefit, the value pursuit on fairness and justice, and the broad-mindedness of inclusiveness and mutual learning, Xi stressed.
Xi called on the member states to stay true to the original aspiration, continue to uphold the "Shanghai Spirit," help each other on their respective path to success, jointly maintain the development direction of the SCO, and build the organization into a reliable backbone for common prosperity and revitalization of its member states.
Leaders of the SCO members attending the meeting spoke positively of the constructive role of the organization in safeguarding regional peace and security, and voiced readiness to further strengthen cooperation in such areas as trade, transportation, energy, finance, agriculture, digital economy and technological innovation, as well as to deepen people-to-people exchanges and cooperation in education, culture, tourism and youth, among other fields.
Noting that the current global political and economic landscape as well as international relations are undergoing major changes, the leaders said the United Nations should play a central coordinating role in promoting the building of a more representative, democratic and equitable multipolar world system, and pushing for an economic globalization that is mutually beneficial and inclusive.
They called for respecting the legitimate security concerns of all countries, committing to resolve differences and disputes between countries through peaceful means, and opposing unilateral sanctions and interference in other countries' internal affairs.
The leaders agreed to improve the SCO mechanism for dealing with security threats and challenges, resolutely combat the "three forces," drug trafficking and transnational organized crime, support the international community's efforts for peace and development in Afghanistan, and support a comprehensive and just settlement of the Palestinian issue based on the two-state solution.
They signed and issued a series of documents, including an Astana declaration, and an initiative calling for solidarity among countries to promote world justice, harmony and development.
The meeting formally approved Belarus' accession to the SCO, and decided that China will resume the rotating presidency of the organization for 2024-2025.
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Kazakhstan hands over SCO presidency to China for 2024-25 period
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Today, the Astana Declaration of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO member states was signed following the SCO summit in the Kazakh capital, within which China will assume the rotating presidency of the SCO for 2024-2025, Kazinform News Agency cites the press service of the Organization.
SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming thanked the Republic of Kazakhstan for the productive work as the Chair during the meeting of the SCO Council of the Heads of State.
Before concluding, I’d like to thank the Republic of Kazakhstan for the productive work as the Chair as well as congratulate the People’s Republic of China on the beginning of the presidency of the Organization, said the SCO Secretary General.
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President Tokayev sums up Kazakhstan’s SCO chairmanship results
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Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev summed up the results of Kazakhstan’s chairmanship in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The President said that thanks to the support of all SCO participants, as many as 150 events of different levels, including digital, tourism, energy and business forums, as well as the SCO youth council meeting, were held in the year of Kazakhstan’s chairmanship in the SCO, Kazinform News Agency reports citing the Akorda press service.
According to him, 60 new documents including the anti-drug strategy, the plan on implementation of the economic cooperation strategy, environmental protection agreement and energy cooperation development strategy have been developed. The range of the Organization’s international partners has been expanded. The activity of the Special Working Group on Promoting Investment has revived its activity. The process of transition to payments in national currencies has gained a positive dynamics.
Due to all these measures, trade and economic cooperation in the SCO space develops dynamically," the Kazakh President said.
Cultural-humanitarian ties strengthening was also in the spotlight of Kazakhstan’s chairmanship in the SCO, he noted.
A number of anchor projects were launched which make the SCO format more attractive. Among them is the project "Spiritual Relics of the SCO States" and first international music festival "SCO Silk Way." 10 tourist destinations for implementation of joint projects were determined. Almaty became the cultural and tourist capital of the SCO," the Kazakh President said.
In general, as Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said, Kazakhstan fully implemented the goals and tasks stated at the previous summit. He also expressed his gratitude to all countries for the support and active participation in implementation of Kazakhstan's initiatives.
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Belarus officially joins SCO, becoming its 10th member state
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Today at the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Astana, the Republic of Belarus was officially accepted as a full member of the organization, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
The leaders of the SCO member countries signed a resolution of SCO Council of Heads of State on completing the process of the Republic of Belarus joining the organization and granting it the status of a full member of the SCO.
In this regard, I would like to greet the President of the Republic of Belarus. In a short period of time, your country has completed all the necessary procedures on the way to full membership in the SCO. If there are no objections, I propose to begin the meeting with the ceremony of signing documents on the admission of the Republic of Belarus to the SCO member states," says Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Earlier it was reported that the SCO summit had kicked off in the Kazakh capital with the official handshake ceremony.
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