SCO summit kicks off in Tianjin with Azerbaijani president among invited participants

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit officially opened today, August 31, in Tianjin, China, bringing together leaders from more than 20 countries and representatives of 10 international organizations, including UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

This year’s gathering is described as the largest since the organization’s founding, according to Caliber.Az.

The summit is expected to conclude with the signing of the Tianjin Declaration.

At the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev is paying a working visit to China to attend the SCO summit, as well as the ceremonies marking the 80th anniversary of China’s victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and in the World Anti-Fascist War.

Earlier, China’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Guo Min, recalled that Azerbaijan obtained dialogue partner status within the SCO in 2016 and is regarded as an important member of the “SCO family.” She emphasized that China and Azerbaijan maintain close cooperation within the framework of the organization.

The ambassador noted that Azerbaijan strongly supported China’s chairmanship of the SCO, sending senior representatives to a wide range of events, including the SCO Political Parties Forum, the SCO Energy Ministers’ Meeting, the SCO People’s Diplomacy and Sister Cities Forum, and the SCO Green Development Forum.

By Khagan Isayev