Bishkek: Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Hussein Issa reaffirmed Egypt's full commitment to enhancing cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), underscoring the importance of collective action and international partnership in addressing shared challenges, and wishing the organization and its friendly peoples continued progress. The remarks came during Egypt's address delivered by Issa on behalf of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi at the "SCO Plus" summit, hosted in Bishkek to mark the 25th anniversary of the organization's founding.
According to State Information Service Egypt, Issa conveyed greetings and appreciation to Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, expressing deep gratitude for inviting Egypt to participate. He affirmed that the meeting convenes amid unprecedented global uncertainty and complex, border-crossing security, political, developmental, and environmental challenges that no single nation can confront alone.
Issa reiterated Egypt's firm support for multilateralism as a safety valve for safeguarding international peace and security, stressing that today's world requires genuine international cooperation, equal partnerships, and shared political will rather than unilateral actions. He highlighted Egypt's regional mediation efforts, substantial contributions to peacekeeping and peacebuilding operations, counterterrorism sacrifices, and development initiatives.
Issa stressed that successful multilateralism requires addressing the root causes of conflict, primarily occupation, poverty, and the impacts of climate change, through dialogue, mutual respect, international law, and the UN Charter. He added that stability depends on genuine partnerships based on solidarity and burden-sharing, calling for adequate, sustainable peacekeeping financing as a high-return investment in global security.
The deputy premier underscored that the multilateral governance system must be reformed as a top priority to meet 21st-century requirements. Issa renewed the call for urgent UN Security Council reform to grant developing and African nations equitable representation, reiterating Egypt's full commitment to the Common African Position based on the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration.
He called for overhauling international financial institutions and multilateral development banks to make them more responsive to developing nations' priorities and improve access to sustainable development financing. He also urged reforming the global debt architecture, which severely hinders development, emphasizing that nations cannot achieve sustainable growth while draining resources to service mounting debt burdens.
Issa voiced Egypt's backing for UN reform efforts led by the Secretary-General to serve all member states equitably without tilting balances of influence. He concluded by noting that the meeting reflects a growing realization of the need for broader partnerships, expressing Egypt's aspiration to build on regular "SCO Plus" meetings to advance concrete initiatives that directly benefit all peoples.