SCO's first public diplomatic center established in Tashkent

TASHKENT - The first public diplomacy center of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was formally established Tuesday in the capital of Uzbekistan to further enhance mutual trust and promote communication among member states.

According to the arrangement, the center will hold more than 30 events this year, including an expo, meetings of non-governmental organizations of SCO members, as well as activities on cultural heritage protection.

With the acceleration of globalization, public diplomacy becomes a main part of international relations, said Rakhmatulla Nazarov, head of the Public Diplomacy Center in Uzbekistan, adding that the center will help Uzbekistan to further strengthen its relations with other member states.

The SCO, established in 2001, now groups China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, accounting for over 20 percent of the global economy and nearly half of the world population.

Zhang Wenchuan, political counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Uzbekistan, said the center will expand cultural exchanges and boost interactions between the people of Uzbekistan and other member countries.

In June 2017, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev proposed an initiative to create a public diplomatic center at the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of SCO in Astana, Kazakhstan.