Baku, May 18, AZERTAC
As part of the chairmanship of Uzbekistan in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the first meeting of the heads of ministries and departments of the SCO, which interact in the field of plant quarantine, was held in Tashkent on Tuesday in a hybrid format.
SCO Secretary General Zhang Ming noted in his address that appropriate cooperation in the SCO space in this area helps to prevent the spread of plant diseases and pests, creates favorable conditions for the elimination of technical barriers between different countries. “Against this background, I welcome the creation of a new mechanism – the Meeting of Heads of Ministries and Departments of the SCO Member States in the field of plant quarantine,” he said. The agenda of the new mechanism being created includes such topical issues as the implementation of cooperation in the field of plant quarantine in order to protect the territory of their states from the penetration of regulated pests, as well as to promote an increase in agricultural trade between the SCO member states. Director of the Department of Chemicalization, Plant Protection and Quarantine under the Ministry of Agriculture of Kyrgyzstan Dyikanbay Kenzhebaev said that today’s event is an important event for all phytosanitary services. “The upcoming signing of the draft Agreement between the authorized bodies of the SCO on cooperation in the field of plant quarantine will open up new prospects for the development of cooperation, in which the Kyrgyz Republic will also make its efforts to ensure the phytosanitary security of the SCO region,” he said.
The meeting outlined joint measures, including Action Plans (Roadmaps) for the implementation of the decisions of the Council of Heads of State (CHS) and the Council of Heads of Government of the SCO Member States (CHP), in terms of plant quarantine. It should be noted that the introduction of common phytosanitary rules and the harmonization of procedures for the movement of plant products within the framework of the SCO can contribute to the fulfillment of strategic objectives adopted both under the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
