Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov has proposed establishing a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Development Bank and a center dedicated to studying water resource issues within the bloc, Kazinform reports.
Speaking at the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting in Moscow, he emphasized that the organization — which accounts for one-third of global GDP and has internal trade approaching $1 trillion — must continue pursuing comprehensive growth.
“It is important to develop and pragmatically use existing resources to stimulate predictable trade. One key step could be creating an SCO Development Bank and introducing a mechanism to support investment projects,” Bektenov stated.
The Kazakh prime minister also announced that the first SCO expert meeting on artificial intelligence will be held in Astana in 2026. He further expressed readiness to use the infrastructure of the Astana International Financial Centre to implement concrete projects benefiting all member states.
The SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting serves as a key platform for discussing economic cooperation among member states and forming common approaches to trade and investment development — a task that has gained added relevance following the recent UN General Assembly resolution on cooperation with the SCO.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
19 November 2025