The speech by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek draws particular attention to the wide range of proposals put forward by Kazakhstan - from security and transport issues to AI, water scarcity and the role of the UN. These areas are united by Astana's overall approach to multilateral cooperation. Tokayev speaks of the SCO as an organization that should remain open to interaction between countries with different interests.
"The SCO represents a unique palette of countries that are different in essence but united in spirit, embodying in practice the principles of non-interference, respect for sovereignty, mutual trust, openness and cooperation," the President of Kazakhstan said. For Kazakhstan, this also has quite practical significance. In 2025, the country's trade turnover with SCO member states amounted to $72.6 billion, demonstrating the scale of economic interaction within the organization.
However, the SCO agenda for Astana is not limited to trade - Kazakhstan also proposes using this platform to strengthen trust and reduce security risks. This position is reflected in Kazakhstan's proposal to hold a special ministerial conference on strategic stability and confidence-building measures. "We consider it relevant to hold an SCO Ministerial Conference on strategic stability and confidence-building measures on the Eurasian continent.
The agenda of this event could include issues related to reducing military risks, containing a new arms race and preventing dangerous incidents," Tokayev said. Thus, Kazakhstan proposes using the SCO's capabilities not only for economic interaction, but also for reducing risks and strengthening trust between states. Amid growing tensions between major powers, maintaining channels for dialogue is becoming a separate task.
In this context, Tokayev's assessment of the role of middle powers is also understandable. According to him, they can facilitate dialogue between different centers of power and participate in developing collective solutions. "Their positions and initiatives should be properly reflected in global governance mechanisms.
Kazakhstan is ready to actively contribute to this process," Tokayev said, speaking at the SCO Plus summit. From security and dialogue issues, Tokayev moves to areas where multilateral cooperation can produce a more concrete economic result. One of them is the development of transport connectivity.
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