On April 22-27 this year, the city of Urumqi in the People’s Republic of China hosted a political parties forum on “Promoting the sustainable development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization – demonstrating the Shanghai Spirit: The responsibilities and tasks of political parties”. A deputy of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis and Deputy Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Political Council of UzLiDeP also took part in the event.

The primary purpose of attending this prestigious forum was to strengthen Uzbekistan’s inter-party relations, elevate cooperation to a new level, and inform the international community about the political reforms underway in the country.

The forum was attended by representatives of more than 200 political parties and parliaments from over 20 countries with SCO member, observer, and dialogue partner status. The Uzbekistan delegation provided detailed information about the wide-ranging reforms, the open and pragmatic foreign policy, and efforts to enhance human dignity and serve the interests of citizens.

It should be noted that UzLiDeP representatives in the delegation put forward essential proposals and initiatives at the forum to strengthen inter-party relations and expand international political dialogue.

Within the framework of the event, meetings were held with prominent officials such as Ma Xingrui, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and Liu Jie, Governor of Zhejiang Province, during which prospects for bilateral cooperation were discussed. In addition, the delegation held lively exchanges of views with representatives from Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Belarus.

According to the forum’s agenda, prospects for cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence, digitalization, healthcare, social protection, environmental issues, and the preservation of national values were discussed. In addition, the SCO Political Parties Forum was recognized as an essential platform for people’s diplomacy.

It should be particularly noted that the Chinese side, paying great attention to the members of the delegation invited from Uzbekistan, expressed strong support for further strengthening inter-party cooperation between the two countries. Such interest, it was emphasized, was also observed among representatives of other states participating in the forum.

Another noteworthy aspect was that, to strengthen inter-parliamentary and inter-party relations, several mutually beneficial proposals were put forward in coordination with the delegations participating in the event. It is worth emphasizing that this forum plays an important role not only in enhancing the role of political parties, but also in consolidating inter-parliamentary cooperation. This, in turn, once again confirms that the consistent reforms being carried out in our country, along with our bold steps toward openness and development, are being duly recognized on the international stage.