Nurlan Yermekbayev, Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, met with Dima Al-Yahya, Secretary General of the Digital Cooperation Organization, at the SCO Secretariat in Beijing on November 12, 2025, to discuss deepening collaboration on digital issues.
Yermekbayev stressed that digitalization and the digital economy occupy a significant place on the SCO agenda and outlined ongoing initiatives, implemented programmes, results achieved and long-term plans aimed at enhancing regional digital capacity. The conversation highlighted priorities for practical cooperation and how SCO DCO cooperation can support those objectives.
Al-Yahya emphasized the Digital Cooperation Organization’s focus on strengthening mutually beneficial ties with SCO member states and described the meeting as a valuable opportunity to explore concrete modes of interaction. Topics discussed included digital transformation, innovation, sustainable development and joint approaches to pressing international challenges.
There was a common understanding that an intensification of SCO DCO cooperation would facilitate exchange of experience, strengthen business contacts and help member states achieve shared goals in the digital economy. Pakistani stakeholders can expect opportunities for closer collaboration with regional partners through coordinated programmes and knowledge sharing.
The Digital Cooperation Organization, established in 2020 with headquarters in Riyadh and an observer status at the United Nations, comprises 16 member states from Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe with a combined GDP of over 3.5 trillion USD and a population exceeding 800 million. Members include Pakistan, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The meeting was held in a friendly and constructive atmosphere and underlined both organisations’ commitment to advancing digital cooperation.
