The video-conference provided the next meeting of the Commission of Senior Officials (CSO) of the ministries and departments of the SCO member states responsible for foreign economic and foreign trade activities. Responsible executives and employees of the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade represented the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The attendees identified the reduction of the negative effects COVID-19 pandemic on the economies of the SCO member states as the one of the primary tasks for the further cooperation. The MIFT experts discussed the set of measures for early access to positive development trends with their colleagues from other countries. They highlighted the intensification of joint analytical activities of the SCO member states in the economic area, as well as the acceleration of agreement of documents planned for submission to the supreme bodies of the organization among the measures focused on the passing of the crises.

Mainly the agenda disclosed the issues of the preparation to upcoming Meeting of Ministers of the SCO Member States Responsible for Foreign Economic and Foreign Trade (MMFEFT) which will take place at the end of October. The CSO members paid a particular attention to the discussion of the Action Plan for the implementation of the updated Program of Multilateral Trade and Economic Cooperation of the SCO Member States.

They noted that the SCO top officials put the priority of the organization on the development of effective measures to improve the living standards of the population in remote and rural areas, which is especially important under the prolonged economic volatility caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Accelerated development of these regions, as well as passing of breakdown in citizens' access to high-quality infrastructure and economic benefits can become points of growth for all member states. This is what the Action Plans is focused on and it actively involves the experts of the Ministry.

For reference: The SCO operates under the Meeting of Ministers of the SCO Member States responsible for foreign economic and foreign trade activities in order to implement the Program of Multilateral Trade and Economic Cooperation of the SCO Member States. The Commission has meetings twice a year involving the heads of the relevant structural departments, ministries, and departments.

The SCO coordinates the actions of special working groups on the development of transit potential, electronic commerce, modern information and telecommunication technologies, customs cooperation, as well as the support of investment projects.

The draft Action Plan was designed to implement the updated Program of Multilateral Trade and Economic Cooperation of the SCO Member States approved during the meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the SCO Member States held in Tashkent in November 2019.