Kazakhstan Chairs the SCO Justice Ministers Meeting

On September 5, the tenth Meeting of the Ministers of Justice of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) took place in Shanghai, China. At this meeting, Kazakhstan assumed the chairmanship of the SCO Meeting of the Ministers of Justice.

Chen Wenqing, Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission of China, and the Secretary-General of the SCO, along with representatives from member states, participated in the meeting.

During the meeting, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Justice, Azamat Yeskarayev, stated that the priorities set by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for Kazakhstan’s chairmanship in the SCO would hold strategic significance for all SCO member states. He emphasized that the focus during Kazakhstan’s chairmanship would be combating “the three forces of evil”: transnational organized crime, drug trafficking, and cybercrime. These goals align with President Tokayev’s State of the Nation Address, “Economic Course of a Just Kazakhstan,” delivered on September 1, 2023.

Yeskarayev also said that the chairmanship by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Justice would significantly contribute to the development and strengthening of the SCO.

The meeting proceeded in an atmosphere of mutual understanding, openness, and constructive dialogue. Participants discussed innovations in the functioning of the Ministries of Justice and acknowledged the need for further development in legal services and forensic activities. They agreed to reconvene next year in Kazakhstan.

The Ministers of Justice from the SCO member states concluded the meeting by signing a Joint Statement. In addition, the Kazakh delegation engaged in bilateral and multilateral talks aimed at fostering cooperation among the justice ministries of the SCO member states.