The first Shanghai organization was held in. Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Geopolitical aspects of the SCO

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental international organization, the establishment of which was announced on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai (PRC). The members of the SCO are Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan. The total area of ​​the SCO member states is 30 million km 2 (3/5 of the area of ​​Eurasia), and the population is 1.5 billion people (1/4 of the total population of the globe).

The history of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which was originally called the "Shanghai Five", dates back to 1996, when the "Agreement on Confidence Building Measures in the Military Field in the Joint Border Area" was signed in Shanghai by the heads of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. In 1997, in Moscow, the countries signed the “Agreement on the Mutual Reduction of Armed Forces in the Border Area”. These two documents laid the foundation for a mechanism of mutual trust in the military field in the border areas and contributed to the establishment of truly partnership relations. After the inclusion of Uzbekistan in the organization in 2001, the "five" countries became the "six" and was renamed the SCO.

In June 2002, at the St. Petersburg Summit of the SCO Heads of State, the Charter of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was signed, which entered into force on September 19, 2003. This is the basic statutory document that fixes the goals and principles of the Organization, its structure and main activities.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which, according to some experts, was formed as a result of great power rivalry for the purpose of multilateral cooperation in the field of security, economy and culture, was conceived from the very beginning as a means of demilitarizing the border between Russia and China and establishing a security zone along it. Four of the five original members of the Organization, that is, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, had only minor border disputes. By concluding bilateral and multilateral agreements in this area, they have managed to resolve almost all their problems. The only difficult moment for these states was the long border with China, but membership in the SCO created for them guarantees of adequate actions from a strong neighbor.

Another goal of the Organization was cooperation in the field of security and to eliminate threats from extremists and terrorists in the Central Asian region. All six main members of the SCO in one form or another oppose the threat of extremism and its possible consequences in the form of separatism and terrorism.

Another important task of the Shanghai Organization is to create conditions for the development of economic partnership in the region. Within the framework of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, its members increase their trade turnover and mutual investments, while developing industrial and economic partnerships.


The highest decision-making body in the SCO is the Council of Heads of Member States (CHS), which meets once a year.

On September 11–12, 2014, Dushanbe (Tajikistan) hosted meetings of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO Member States. The participants discussed international security issues, ways to peacefully resolve conflicts in Afghanistan, the Middle East and North Africa, the organization's development strategy until 2025, preparations for the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the victory over fascism, and other important topics. As a result of the summit, the heads of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan signed a package of documents, including the Dushanbe Declaration.

The heads of state considered topical issues of international and regional security. It was emphasized that terrorism, separatism, extremism, illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors, cross-border organized crime and cyber threats are still factors that have a negative impact on security and stability in the SCO region. Readiness was expressed to continue close cooperation in the fight against these challenges and threats.

At the same time, special attention was paid to the interaction of the SCO member states at the UN platform, where the closeness or coincidence of the views of the SCO member states on topical issues on the international agenda is manifested, which was also reflected in the text of the Dushanbe Declaration of the heads of state. Member States support the development within the framework of the UN of universal rules, principles and norms of responsible behavior of states in the information space and will continue to jointly promote the draft "Rules of Conduct in the Field of Ensuring International Information Security", distributed on behalf of the SCO member states as an official document of the UN.

Authorized representatives of the SCO member states signed an intergovernmental agreement on the creation of favorable conditions for international road transport, which will promote the development of trade and economic cooperation between the countries of the region.

It was recognized as necessary to strengthen dialogue and expand financial and banking cooperation in order to promote the economic development of all SCO member states, deepen regional trade and economic ties, and increase the role of the region in the world economy.

The importance of the ongoing work to study the creation of the SCO Development Fund (Special Account) and the SCO Development Bank was noted, and it was instructed to continue efforts to complete it as soon as possible.

The main result of the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was the adoption of documents that open up opportunities for further expansion of the bloc.

The SCO chairmanship is passing to Russia, which intends to splendidly celebrate the 70th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War, accept India and Pakistan into the organization of "irreconcilable friends" and hold a summit in Ufa next summer.

One of these days Dushanbe will host a summit of the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. It has not yet been fully formed, its long-term agenda and areas of interaction are being specified. But measures are already being discussed and taken on the most important for the participating countries global and regional issues. AT Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Leading Fellow of the Institute for International Studies of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (U) of the Russian Foreign Ministry Mikhail Konarovsky visited the website live on the video channel.


SCO summit: Russia will go to the East?

- The main tasks of the SCO: ensuring the security of the member countries, economic cooperation and mutual cultural exchange. We have a special coordinator in the Foreign Ministry for SCO affairs, who is also the representative of the President of the Russian Federation for SCO affairs. I worked for three years as Deputy Secretary General of the SCO in the secretariat in Beijing, dealing with political issues, security and other key tasks.

— When will the SCO Development Bank be established?

- It is, in principle, already in the process of creation. There were controversies over the forms of financial support. The Chinese had an idea to create a bank, and Russia had a special account in some bank. Then we decided that there would be something in between. Everyone in this bank is really interested. Because the economic component is an important part of the SCO, but the problem is that there are still no large joint economic projects there.

What about the Great Silk Road?

Yes, this is a Chinese idea recently put forward by Xi Jinping. It is aimed precisely at making multilateral economic ties between states more efficient and active. Of course, we supported this idea when Putin was on a visit to China.

This is indeed a large-scale task, but so far it has not materialized into any concrete proposals or projects. The SCO countries are constantly trying to find more common denominators, approaches to solving common problems.

Earlier in the West, the question was very actively discussed that the SCO is sort of like an analogue, a prototype of NATO. This is not true. There is no military component in the SCO. The charter does not provide for joint military activities, but security issues are important for everyone.

- Is this what the CSTO is doing?

— Yes, but the CSTO is completely different. The CSTO includes Russia and several countries of the former USSR, including Central Asia. The SCO and the CSTO have no direct relation to each other, but they can cooperate to some extent.

- Not so long ago, the chiefs of the general staffs of the five SCO countries gathered in Beijing ...

“These are standard regular meetings. They exchange views on important issues for the participants.

The situation in Afghanistan, as you know, is extremely complex and difficult in terms of future prospects, especially after the withdrawal of US and NATO troops. This is a huge problem for the SCO countries. Because all the SCO countries - China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan - are actually neighbors of Afghanistan or countries close to it. What is happening affects them greatly. Instability in Afghanistan could quickly spread to Central Asia. Some political scientists are trying to hush it up, that there seems to be no reason to worry, it is not so important. In fact, this is indeed a real threat. Instability that could spill over beyond the borders of Afghanistan, mainly to the north, is dangerous. From there, fundamentalist influences can seep in and representatives of military-political groups, among which there are people from Central Asia, can penetrate. The influence of the fundamental Islamic political and military-political factor, including from the Taliban in Afghanistan, of course, has an impact on stability, including in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. For the Chinese, this is a very big and ever-increasing headache. Because the situation there is really very unstable. All this is being discussed in a regional plan. We do not give recipes to the Chinese how and what to do, just like they do to us.

- And if, for example, the Taliban penetrate or start a direct invasion of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Uyghur territories?

“Then collective and bilateral military action will be taken against this disgrace. There are corresponding structures in the CSTO. And CSTO members from Central Asia are all SCO countries, except for Uzbekistan. Military cooperation with Uzbekistan is built on a bilateral basis. This slightly complicates the structure of countering possible attacks by these terrorist elements. But, nevertheless, it's all there. The work is carried out directly through the CSTO.

Moreover, there is constant coordination between the CSTO and the relevant structures of the SCO, how and what is being done and planned. Although the SCO does not have a military structure, security issues are among the main ones. Recently, counter-terrorism exercises were held in China. They are aimed precisely at working out counteraction to some possible terrorist attacks.

What about the fight against drugs?

- This is also on the agenda of the SCO. Absolutely. Annual very productive meetings of heads of anti-drug departments of all SCO countries are held. A very effective regional antiterrorist structure of the SCO operates in Tashkent. They deal specifically with issues of collective interaction in this area. This work will be intensified. Plus, it is planned to transfer issues related to drugs there. If earlier this was mainly done in Beijing, now it has been decided to expand it.

Moreover, it is precisely in the area of ​​cooperation in the field of security, including counter-terrorism and drugs, that the SCO observer countries, including India, Pakistan, Iran, show an active interest in these discussions, even without being members.

By the way, at the forthcoming Dushanbe summit the question of the technical registration of the applications of new members will be discussed. This is a very important milestone, which will just be completed in Dushanbe. This is very important, because it will open the way for many countries to join the SCO. This is politically important both for these countries and for the SCO, including Russia, especially given the current international situation.

Who can be accepted first?

Pakistan and India are close to joining. Iran has less chance because it is under international sanctions.

“Like we already are.

We are already members of the SCO. And according to the SCO charter, a country under international sanctions does not have the right to join the SCO.

Is Afghanistan also an observer?

Yes, Afghanistan was also accepted as an observer in 2012. And it is also politically important for Afghanistan to constantly expand its presence in the SCO structures and coordinate its life with these states. This is very positive. There is the so-called Istanbul Initiative, which was once shown by Kabul and Ankara. It is aimed at ensuring that Afghanistan is more and more incorporated into regional economic cooperation organizations.

- The Americans, connecting the Europeans, have been constantly putting pressure on us lately. And the Americans put pressure on China in the same way along with the Japanese?

- Certainly. Not without reason, in the recently adopted American military strategy, the main military-political attention was paid to East Asia. And the main military forces were sent there. I don’t know how they will act now due to the situation. They want to strengthen NATO along Russia's borders. In general, they will have to change a lot. They claim they will leave Afghanistan by 2016. But why do they then insist that the Afghans sign a security treaty with them? They seem to be leaving Afghanistan, but on the other hand, they somehow remain. Of course, Central Asia is important to them. They seek to spoil us everywhere. This is clear. Especially now. They launched a Western theater in Ukraine. Now they will try to aggravate the situation in the southern theater, of course. They strive to get everything under themselves. But this is unrealistic. We also have our own line of relations with Afghanistan. It was and remains open. The same is true for the Chinese. They did not fall under the Americans. And not through them they provide assistance to Afghanistan, but directly. Now it is very important that the external forces, which are so worried about the situation in Afghanistan, work together.

— While the SCO is still in its infancy. Is its potential greater than it is used now?

- Very correct. Absolutely on point. The potential of the SCO is quite large and has not yet been fully realized.

Interviewed by Said Gafurov

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental international organization, the establishment of which was announced on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai (PRC) by the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People's Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, the Republic of Uzbekistan. It was preceded by the Shanghai Five mechanism.

In June 2002, at the St. Petersburg Summit of the Heads of State of the SCO Member States, the Charter of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was signed, which entered into force on September 19, 2003. This is the basic statutory document that fixes the goals and principles of the organization, its structure and main activities.

On June 8-9, 2017, a historic meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was held in Astana, during which the status of a member state of the Organization was granted to the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

The main goals of the SCO include: strengthening mutual trust and good neighborliness between the member countries; promotion of their effective cooperation in the political, trade, economic, scientific, technical and cultural fields, as well as in the field of education, energy, transport, tourism, environmental protection and others; joint provision and maintenance of peace, security and stability in the region; moving towards the creation of a democratic, just and rational new international political and economic order.

In relations within the organization, the SCO member states, based on the "Shanghai spirit", adhere to the principles of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, mutual consultations, respect for the diversity of cultures and the desire for common development, and in external relations adhere to the principle of non-alliance, not directed against anyone and openness.

The highest decision-making body in the SCO is the Council of Heads of Member States (CHS). It meets once a year and takes decisions and instructions on all important issues of the Organization. The Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) of the SCO Member States (CGP) meets once a year to discuss the strategy of multilateral cooperation and priority areas within the Organization, address fundamental and topical issues of economic and other cooperation, and also approves the annual budget of the Organization. The official languages ​​of the SCO are Russian and Chinese.

In addition to the meetings of the CHS and the CHP, there is also a mechanism for meetings at the level of heads of parliaments, secretaries of security councils, ministers of foreign affairs, defense, emergency situations, economy, transport, culture, education, healthcare, heads of law enforcement agencies, supreme and arbitration courts, prosecutors general. The Council of National Coordinators of the SCO Member States (CNC) serves as the coordination mechanism within the SCO.

The organization has two permanent bodies - the SCO Secretariat in Beijing and the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) of the SCO in Tashkent. The SCO Secretary General and the Director of the SCO RATS Executive Committee are appointed by the Council of Heads of State for a period of three years. Since January 1, 2016, these posts have been respectively occupied by Rashid Alimov (Tajikistan) and Evgeny Sysoev (Russia).

So currently:

  • eight countries are SCO member states - the Republic of India, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People's Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, the Republic of Uzbekistan;
  • four countries have the status of an observer state in the SCO - the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Republic of Belarus, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Mongolia;
  • six countries are partners in the SCO dialogue - the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Armenia, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, the Republic of Turkey, the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

FSEI HPE "KALININGRAD STATE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY"

Department of "Economic Theory"

Report on the topic:

SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION

Prepared by: st.gr. 08-RN

Chilikina M.V.

Checked by: Senchukova L.O.

Kaliningrad 2011-

1. History of creation………………………………………………………………………3

2. Management structure…………………………………………………………………6

3.1 Security sphere……………………………………………………………....9

3.2 Economic activity………………………………………………..10

3.3 Cultural and humanitarian activities………………………………….11

4. Participation of the Russian Federation in the SCO……………………………………………13

References………………………………………………………………...14

    History of creation

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a regional international organization founded in 2001 by the leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. With the exception of Uzbekistan, the rest of the countries were members of the "Shanghai Five", founded as a result of the signing in 1996-1997. agreements between Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia and Tajikistan on strengthening confidence in the military field and on the mutual reduction of armed forces in the border area. After the inclusion of Uzbekistan in 2001, the participants renamed the organization.

The total territory of the countries belonging to the SCO is 30 million km², that is, 60% of the territory of Eurasia. Its total demographic potential is one fourth of the world's population (the total population of the countries participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization: 1 billion 455 million people), and its economic potential includes the most powerful Chinese economy after the United States.

One of the features of the SCO is that in terms of status it is neither a military bloc, like NATO, nor an open regular security conference, like the ASEAN ARF, occupying an intermediate position. The main tasks of the organization are to strengthen stability and security in a wide area that unites the participating states, the fight against terrorism, separatism, extremism, drug trafficking, the development of economic cooperation, energy partnership, scientific and cultural interaction.

The prerequisites for the creation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization were laid back in the 60s. XX century, when the USSR and China began to resolve border issues. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, new participants in the negotiations appeared in the face of Russia and the newly formed states of Central Asia. After China managed to civilly resolve all territorial issues with neighboring CIS states - Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan - prospects for further development of fruitful regional cooperation opened up before the partners. For Russia and China, this was an attractive opportunity to unite under their auspices the efforts and potentials of the Central Asian states to curb the possible expansion of other world centers of power and influence in Central Asia.

Based on the prevailing favorable political climate, and also because of the growing danger of the region turning into an area of ​​permanent instability due to a sharp intensification of international terrorism, the "Shanghai Five" was formed in 1996. Subsequent annual summits of the Shanghai Five were held in Moscow in 1997, Alma-Ata (Kazakhstan) in 1998, Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) in 1999 and Dushanbe (Tajikistan) in 2000. By the time the Bishkek summit was held, all participants of the Shanghai Five had become aware of the need to develop cooperation in a wide range of areas, which required the creation of permanent cooperation mechanisms in the form of meetings of ministers and expert groups. In fact, the architecture of the new international organization began to take shape. An institution of national coordinators, appointed by each country, emerged.

In 2001, another meeting was again held in Shanghai (China). Then five participating countries accepted Uzbekistan into the organization (which was recorded in a joint statement of the heads of state and led to the renaming of the organization into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or the "Shanghai Six").

The first documents adopted by the SCO were the Declaration on the Establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism, and the Joint Statement on Connecting Uzbekistan to the Shanghai Five mechanism.

The meeting of the heads of state in June 2002 in St. Petersburg continued the institutionalization of the SCO: the Declaration on the establishment of the Organization was practically embodied in the signing of two new important acts - the Declaration of the Heads of State - members of the SCO, called the final political document by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, and the Charter of the SCO - basic statutory document.

As a result of the Moscow summit (May 28-29, 2003), the SCO Secretariat with headquarters in Beijing and the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) were created (the agreement on its creation was signed a year earlier in St. Petersburg.) Among the 30 documents signed then were and the regulations governing the functioning of the bodies of the organization - the regulations on the Council of Heads of State, the Council of Heads of Government and the Council of Foreign Ministers.

Due to the fact that the organizational period of the SCO ended following the results of the Moscow summit, on January 1, 2004, it began to function as a full-fledged international structure with its own working mechanisms, personnel and budget.

As a result of the Tashkent summit (June 2004), the following documents were signed: the Tashkent Declaration on the results of the meeting, the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the SCO, as well as a number of other documents. The composition of the organization expanded due to the admission of a new member, Mongolia, as an observer.

The meeting of the heads of state of the SCO, held in 2005, aroused genuine interest among political observers, since in addition to a new package of treaties and conventions, the participants signed the Declaration of the heads of state of the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which fixed common approaches aimed at further consolidating efforts and strengthening coordination.

The main outcome documents of the Bishkek summit (August 2007) were the Treaty on Long-term Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Bishkek Declaration of the Heads of State of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The forum was also attended by the presidents of two SCO observer countries - Mongolian President Nambaryn Enkhbayar and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The other two Observer States of the Organization were represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, Khurshid Kasuri, and the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas of India, Murli Deor.

In 2009, at a meeting in Yekaterinburg, the heads of the SCO member states decided to grant the status of SCO dialogue partner to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the Republic of Belarus.

On April 28, 2010, a Memorandum was signed on granting the Republic of Belarus the status of a dialogue partner of the SCO, which formalized this status for Belarus.

2. Management structure of the organization

To fulfill the goals and objectives of the SCO Charter, the following bodies were established within the organization:

    Council of Heads of State (CHS);

    Council of Heads of Government (CGP);

    Council of Foreign Ministers (CMFA);

    Meetings of heads of ministries and departments;

    Council of National Coordinators (CNC);

    Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS);

Secretariat - a permanent administrative body headed by the Secretary General (since 2010 - the representative of Kyrgyzstan M.S. Imanaliev).

Council of Heads of State (CHS) is the supreme body of the SCO. It determines the priorities and main directions of the Organization's activities, resolves the fundamental issues of its internal structure and functioning, interaction with other states and international organizations, and also considers the most pressing international problems. The Council meets for regular meetings once a year. The chairmanship of the meeting of the CHS is carried out by the head of state - the organizer of the next meeting. The venue of the meeting is determined, as a rule, by the alphabetical order (Russian) of the list of SCO member states. The Council may decide on the creation of other SCO bodies, which is formalized in the form of additional protocols to the Charter.

Council of Heads of Government (CGP) adopts the SCO budget, which is formed on the basis of the principle of shared participation, considers and resolves the main issues related to specific, especially economic, areas of development of interaction within the Organization. The Council meets for regular meetings once a year. The chairmanship of the meeting of the Council is carried out by the head of the government of the state in whose territory the meeting is held.

Council of Foreign Ministers (CMFA) considers and resolves issues of the current activities of the Organization, including the preparation of the meeting of the CHS, takes measures to implement the decisions of the Organization and conduct consultations within the framework of the SCO on international issues. The chairmanship of the Council is exercised by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Member State of the Organization on whose territory the regular meeting of the CHS is held. The Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs represents the Organization in the implementation of external contacts in accordance with the Regulations on the procedure for the work of the Council.

Meetings of heads of ministries and/or departments are held to consider specific issues of developing cooperation in relevant areas within the framework of the SCO. To date, a mechanism has been formed for holding meetings of prosecutors general, ministers of defense, ministers of economy and trade, ministers of communications, ministers of culture, as well as meetings of heads of law enforcement agencies and departments for emergency assistance to victims of disasters. The chairmanship is carried out by the head of the relevant ministry and / or department of the host state of the meeting. The place and time of the meeting will be agreed in advance.

The Secretariat is a permanent administrative body of the SCO. It is entrusted with: organizational and technical support of events held within the framework of the SCO, participation in the development and implementation of documents of all bodies within the Organization, preparation of proposals for the annual budget. The secretariat is headed by the Secretary General, who is approved by the CHS. The Secretary General is appointed from among the citizens of the SCO member states on the basis of rotation, in the order of the Russian alphabet of the names of the member states for a period of three years without the right to renew for the next term. Until 2006, there was no post of Secretary General, instead of it there was an institution of an executive secretary, who formally could act only on behalf of the SCO Secretariat. There is an opinion that it is necessary to restructure the SCO Secretariat into a more independent executive body, due to the lack of sufficient rights and funding at the moment. While in the UN, NATO, CSTO and other organizations, the executive bodies are relatively independent and, therefore, are able to develop the agenda of their organizations themselves, come up with initiatives and even facilitate the adoption of their initiative proposals by the leadership of the member states, the SCO Secretariat does not really conducts organizational work, which, in fact, is handled by the Council of National Coordinators. As a result, the staff of the Secretariat must coordinate any issue with the national coordinator of the country that sent it, and that one with the national coordinators of other countries. This is not conducive to building institutional ethics in the Secretariat. It turns out that, in fact, the SCO Secretariat is not an independent body of an international organization, but a team consisting of national representatives.

Council of National Coordinators (CNC) carries out coordination and management of the current activities of the Organization, conducts the necessary preparations for the meetings of the CHS, CHP and Ministerial Council. The Council of People's Commissars meets at least three times a year. The chairmanship of the Council of People's Commissars is carried out by the national coordinator of the Member State of the Organization, on whose territory the regular meeting of the CHS will be held. The Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, on behalf of the Chairman of the Council of Foreign Ministers, may represent the Organization in the implementation of external contacts.

Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) - a permanent body of the SCO headquartered in Tashkent, designed to promote coordination and interaction between the competent authorities of the parties in the fight against terrorism, extremism and separatism. It has the status of a legal entity and the right to enter into contracts, acquire and dispose of movable and immovable property, open and maintain bank accounts, initiate claims in courts and participate in legal proceedings. These rights are exercised on behalf of the RATS by the director of the RATS Executive Committee. The main functions of this body are to coordinate the efforts of all SCO member states in the fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism - the development of proposals for the fight against terrorism, the collection and analysis of information, the formation of a database of individuals and organizations that provide support to criminals, assistance in the preparation and carrying out operational-search and other measures to combat these phenomena, maintaining contacts with international organizations The RATS consists of the Council and the Executive Committee (a permanent body). The Council, which includes the heads of the competent authorities of the countries of the Organization, is the decision-making governing body. The Chairman of the RATS Executive Committee is appointed by the Council of Heads of State.

Decisions in the SCO bodies are made by consensus. The procedure for the work of all the bodies of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was finally developed and adopted in 2003, at the Moscow summit. The main structures of the organization began to work in January 2004, after which this association functions as a full-fledged international organization.

3.1 Security sphere

The activities of the SCO initially lay in the sphere of mutual intra-regional actions to suppress terrorist acts, as well as separatism and extremism in Central Asia. According to Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, it has become the first international organization to make the idea of ​​combating terrorism the core of its activities. Already among the first documents signed by the participants of the SCO inception summit in Shanghai (2001) was the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism, which for the first time at the international level consolidated the definition of separatism and extremism as violent, criminally prosecuted acts. Since that time, the participating countries have given priority to the issues of settling internal conflicts, reaching consensus in countering extremism and drug mafia, which was first evidenced by the creation of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, and then the signing of the Treaty on Long-term Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation.

On June 7, 2002 in St. Petersburg, at the meeting of the heads of states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, an Agreement on the Regional Antiterrorist Structure was signed. The main tasks and functions of the Executive Committee of the RATS SCO are defined in three priority areas:

    coordination and operational direction (coordination and interaction of the competent authorities of the participating countries in the fight against terrorism, extremism, conducting anti-terrorist exercises, etc.);

    international legal direction (participation in the preparation of international documents on issues of combating terrorism, including within the framework of the UN, assistance to the UN Security Council, etc.);

    information and analytical direction (formation and replenishment of the RATS data bank, collection and analysis of information on issues of combating terrorism, etc.).

According to the executive director of this organization, V. Kasymov, only during the period between two SCO summits (July 5, 2005 - June 15, 2006), as a result of the activities of the RATS on the territory of the SCO, more than 450 terrorist attacks were prevented, 15 leaders of terrorist organizations were detained or killed by the special services of the countries Organizations, 400 more are wanted.

3.2 Economic activity

Despite the fact that the SCO was originally created with the aim of jointly protecting the borders of neighboring states, almost immediately its activities also received an economic focus. A few months after the start of the work of the SCO, at their first meeting in Alma-Ata, the prime ministers of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization discussed issues of regional trade and economic cooperation, the development of the SCO and other problems, signed a Memorandum between the governments of the SCO member states on the main goals and areas of regional economic cooperation and launching a process to create an enabling environment for trade and investment.

In May of the following year, the first meeting of the ministers of economy and trade of the SCO member states was held in Shanghai. The parties officially launched a mechanism for holding meetings of ministers of economy and trade and creating favorable conditions in the field of trade and investment. As a result of the meeting, a protocol was signed to the Memorandum between the governments of the SCO member states on the main goals and directions of regional economic cooperation and the launch of a process to create favorable conditions in the field of trade and investment and a joint statement on the results of the first meeting of ministers responsible for foreign economic and foreign trade activities.

In September 2003, the heads of government of the SCO member countries signed the Program of Multilateral Trade and Economic Cooperation for 20 years. As a long-term goal, the creation of a free trade zone in the SCO is envisaged, and in the short term - an increase in the flow of goods in the region. Cooperation should cover the fields of energy, transport, agriculture, telecommunications, environmental protection, etc. An action plan for developing cooperation was signed a year later, in September 2004.

China occupies a special place in the economic relations of the SCO countries. It influences the economic situation in the region more and more every year, stimulates the cooperation of the SCO countries in this area, insisting on the creation of a free trade zone, and at the same time the creation of an infrastructure for trade and investment. Drawing the economies of the countries of the Central Asian region (CAR) into the orbit of its economic interests, the PRC considers them, first of all, as reliable markets for its goods. It is from the point of view of expanding trade cooperation that China actively supports the entry of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries into the World Trade Organization.

At the end of the summit in Yekaterinburg, as well as the meeting of the heads of state of the BRIC group that took place the next day, on June 17, 2009, Russia and China entered into an unprecedented agreement in energy for one hundred billion dollars. The largest deal in the history of bilateral relations between Russia and China was announced by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev after negotiations with Chinese leader Hu Jintao. The top officials agreed to develop a mechanism for mutual settlements in rubles and yuan. So far, all transactions between Russia and China are valued in dollars. But if the initiative of the PRC and the Russian Federation is implemented, it can affect not only Russian-Chinese relations, but also the entire world trade. Moscow and Beijing intend to replace the dollar with the yuan and the ruble.

3.3 Cultural and humanitarian activities

In the Declaration on the Establishment of the SCO, the participating countries also declared the need to develop cultural cooperation.

The ministers of culture of the participating countries met for the first time in Beijing on April 12, 2002. The governments of the states actively supported the holding of the Days of Culture, the participation of art groups and artists. Since that time, humanitarian cooperation has gradually intensified: joint events are held to coincide with significant historical dates of the SCO member countries, exchanges of students and faculty are practiced, and attempts are made to create joint training centers. In 2008, the SCO University was formed as a single network educational space based on universities conducting research in the areas of regional studies, IT technologies, nanotechnologies, energy, and ecology - by 2010, these are 53 universities from 5 SCO countries.

Relations are also developing in the field of art. Since 2005, exhibitions of children's drawings "Children draw fairy tales" have been held annually. The idea of ​​the project initiators, which was to stimulate children's interest in the culture of neighboring countries, as well as national heritage through folk tales, was actively supported by the SCO Secretariat, which turned to representatives of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan with a proposal to organize a joint exhibition of children's drawings. The proposal received a wide response, and in June 2009 the vernissage of children's drawings presented by all SCO member countries was held for the twenty-first time.

Like other areas of interaction, humanitarian cooperation within the SCO has broad prospects.

Criticism of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is largely related to the failure of its activities, in particular in the fight against terrorism and the protection of regional security. Some foreign analysts (for example, Matthew Oresman from the American Center for Strategic and International Studies, suggest that the SCO is nothing more than a debating club that claims to be something more. The head of the Institute of Military History of the RF Ministry of Defense A A. Koltyukov, arguing that "an analysis of the results achieved by this Organization allows us to characterize it as a political club in which bilateral cooperation still prevails over the solution of regional and global problems. ... real cooperation in these areas counteracting the threats of terrorism, separatism and the fight against drug trafficking not seen at the regional level.

4. Participation of the Russian Federation in the SCO

In the context of the formation of a new system of international relations, building a collective system of regional security is a very urgent task. Considering various aspects of ensuring the regional security of Central Asia, special attention should be paid to the foreign policy dimension, which plays an important role in the safe development of states, taking into account the growing interdependence in the globalizing space of international relations.

Based on the results of the 10-year existence of the SCO, it can be argued that the Organization has withstood the test of time. At present, there are no such centrifugal forces within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which, for example, are observed in the CIS. More can be said - in the post-Soviet space, the SCO has become the most powerful and promising organization for international cooperation. A serious challenge to the SCO during these years was the Russian-Georgian conflict in August 2008 and the riots in Kyrgyzstan in the summer of 2010.

However, the organization coped with them. At the moment, everything suggests that good Russian-Chinese relations in Central Asia will continue. They are a factor of stability, a deterrent to security threats in the region. And although there are some contradictions and frictions between the SCO states, outwardly the SCO looks like a rather monolithic structure: there is something that unites these states, even though the SCO member countries differ in many respects in terms of basic indicators. China and Russia account for 98% of the population and 97% of the total GDP of the integration association, however, despite the global financial crisis of the late 2000s, the mutual trade turnover of the SCO member countries is characterized by high growth dynamics. Among the SCO countries, China ($196 billion), Russia ($134.3 billion), Kazakhstan ($14.8 billion) and Uzbekistan ($2.4 billion) have a positive foreign trade balance. And although Russia's relative influence in the SCO is less than in the CIS, the SCO plays an important role for Russia in connecting China to multilateral cooperation in Central Asia, and in the future, other large countries in the region, such as India, Iran, Pakistan and Mongolia.

For the Central Asian states, where the unilateral influence of Russia or China is perceived with some concern, their joint presence in the SCO, where the Central Asian states themselves are equal members, and all issues are resolved by consensus, is the most effective mechanism for interaction.

List of used literature

    en.wikipedia.org

    Shanghai Cooperation Organization: Toward New Frontiers of Development

/ Comp.: A.F. Klimenko. - 1st. - M.: In-t Daln. Vost., 2008. - 400 p.

    Interaction of Russia with China and other partners in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization / Anatoly Viktorovich Bolyatko. - 1st. - M.: In-t Daln. Vost. RAN, 2008. - 180 p.

    I. N. Komissina; Kurtov A. A. Shanghai Cooperation Organization

// Kokarev K. A. Russia in Asia: problems of interaction: a collection of articles. - M.: Publishing House of the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, 2006. - S. 251

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  • The content of the article

    SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION, SCO is a sub-regional international organization, which includes 6 states - Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The total territory of the SCO member states is 61% of the territory of Eurasia, its total demographic potential is a quarter of the world's population, and its economic potential includes the most powerful Chinese economy after the United States. The official working languages ​​are Russian and Chinese. Headquarters in Beijing.

    The symbolism of the SCO includes a white flag with the emblem of the organization in the center. The coat of arms depicts two laurel wreaths on the sides, in the center is a symbolic image of the Eastern Hemisphere of the earth with the outlines of the earth's land, which is occupied by the "six", above and below - the inscription in Chinese and Russian: "Shanghai Cooperation Organization".

    The main stages in the development of the SCO.

    The predecessor of the SCO was the so-called "Shanghai Five" (Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China and Tajikistan), formed as a result of the signing of Confidence building agreements in the military field in the border area(1996) and Agreements on the mutual reduction of armed forces in the border area(1997). The rapprochement of these countries was dictated primarily by the threat to the security of their border territories from the main source of instability in Central Asia - Afghanistan, where a civil war was going on between the troops of the Northern Coalition and the Taliban movement. The first of these two agreements was signed in Shanghai, giving rise to the term "Shanghai Five". Joint work at the summits in Alma-Ata (1998), Bishkek (1999), Dushanbe (2000) made it possible to create an atmosphere of what has become known as the "Shanghai spirit" - to develop an atmosphere of mutual trust, through the first experience of mutual consultations to come to a mechanism for reaching consensus and voluntary consent to comply with the provisions of the agreements reached. Gradually, the range of issues expanded to the spheres of foreign policy, economics, environmental protection, including the use of water resources, culture, etc. All this led to the need to formalize the system of summits and consultations into a new regional association.

    On June 14-15, 2001, a meeting of the heads of six states - Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan - took place in Shanghai, at which the creation of the SCO was announced. In the summit Declarations the maintenance and provision of peace, security and stability in Central Asia, as well as the development of cooperation in the political, trade, economic, scientific, technical, cultural, educational, energy, transport, environmental and other fields were proclaimed as the main goals. Another important document Convention against terrorism, separatism and extremism for the first time consolidated at the international level the definition of separatism and extremism as violent, criminally prosecuted acts. Its signing is connected with China's concerns about separatist actions near the borders with Central Asia, where the Uyghurs live - Turkic-speaking Muslims who inhabit the west of China. Another equally interested country - Uzbekistan - has the largest population of all the states of Central Asia and is most susceptible to manifestations of separatism on the part of radical supporters of the restoration of the Islamic caliphate in the region.

    In June 2002, the second meeting of the heads of the SCO member states was held in St. Petersburg, at which three documents were signed - Charter of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Agreement between the SCO member states on the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure and Declaration of the Heads of State of the SCO Member States. The Charter legally fixed the proclaimed a year earlier in Declarations guidelines for the development of the SCO. This charter gives the "six" the status of an international organization and is the basic document that determines, along with the main areas of cooperation, the internal structure and mechanism for forming a common course and building relationships with other countries and organizations.

    The charter was signed in 2002 and ratified by the Federation Council in 2003.

    Based on the 2001 Convention, in order to improve cooperation in the fight against terrorism, separatism, extremism, drug and arms trafficking, as well as illegal migration, the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) was created, which in 2002 received the status of a permanent body of the SCO. Its functions include coordinating the actions of law enforcement agencies and intelligence agencies of the SCO states.

    In May 2003, the third key summit meeting in the history of the SCO took place in Moscow. Documents were signed at it defining the procedure for the work of the main bodies of the SCO, the mechanism for the formation of the budget and other issues related to the current work of various divisions of the SCO. The emblem and flag of the organization were adopted. The Russian-speaking Ambassador of China to Russia Zhang Deguang was chosen as the first executive secretary of the SCO. According to most analysts, we can talk about the practical completion of the organizational formalization of this organization at the Moscow summit, which was noted in the political Declaration adopted at the end of the meeting. It also set the task of working out a clear mechanism for the foreign policy coordination of the actions of the SCO members both in Central Asia and on the world stage as a whole.

    The main bodies of the SCO.

    The order of work of the SCO bodies was finally determined only at the Moscow summit in 2003. It was decided that all the main structures of the SCO would begin full-fledged work from January 2004. By this time, it is planned to complete the construction of the headquarters in Beijing and the preparatory work of the embassies of member countries in Beijing for ensuring the activities of the secretariat in the initial period of work. The list of major organs includes:

    Council of Heads of State– annual SCO summits in the capitals of the participating countries.

    Council of Heads of Government.

    Council of Foreign Ministers(CMFA) - the first meeting was held in November 2002. It precedes summit meetings, coordinates the positions of participants and prepares key documents for signing by heads of state (as in May 2003), and also accepts its own appeals (on the early adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on the Suppression of International terrorism and the Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism in 2002).

    Meetings of heads of ministries and departments- The first meetings of defense ministers were held back in 2000 within the framework of the "five", since then they have been held on a regular basis.

    Secretariat(Beijing) - its number is up to 40 people, should start work in 2004.

    Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure(RATS) (Bishkek). In August 2003, the anti-terrorist exercises of the armed forces of the SCO countries "Interaction-2003" were held. Kazakhstan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan (Tajikistan - as an observer) took part in the first stage of the exercises in Kazakhstan. The second stage took place in China. The full functioning of the headquarters of the RATS is expected in 2004.

    Problems and prospects of the SCO.

    Pessimistic experts point out that the two most obvious problems of the SCO are too wide a divergence of interests among its members and uncertainty about its status due to the duplication of many SCO functions by the recently formed Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Dushanbe, which includes four of the six members of the SCO. In addition, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have not yet ratified the SCO charter, adopted in 2002. This hinders the registration of the SCO in the UN and, as a result, the international recognition of its subjectivity. At the same time, countries such as Iran, Mongolia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the United States and regional organizations represented by ASEAN and the EU are showing interest in cooperation.

    The issue of the foreign policy orientation of the participating countries remains one of the key issues in assessing the prospects for the development of this organization. Analysts note that such initiatives as the project of a transport corridor from Shanghai to St. Transport Corridor Europe Caucasus Asia).

    The differences between the SCO countries were most clearly identified with regard to the war in Iraq in 2003. Then Russia, together with France and Germany, tried to prevent the outbreak of war, China verbally condemned the actions of the anti-Iraq coalition, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan took a generally neutral position, and Uzbekistan unconditionally supported military campaign. At the same time, the fact that Uzbekistan withdrew in 2002 from the regional organization GUUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Moldova) formed in 1997 and joined the SCO in advance in 2001 speaks of the growing weight and attractiveness of this organization for the countries of the region.

    The importance of the SCO.

    The international weight of this organization is determined not only by the combined demographic and territorial potential of its member countries, but also by the emerging strategic partnership between the two nuclear powers and permanent members of the UN Security Council - Russia and China. This determines the role of the SCO in building a system of collective security both in Central Asia and in the Asia-Pacific region. The SCO is an open organization to accept new members who share its basic principles. Although security issues were initially decisive in the formation of the SCO and remain one of the highest priorities, at the same time it would be wrong to regard it as a military organization. This status is unacceptable due to the participation of the SCO member countries in international unions and organizations with various obligations. So for China, its participation is generally an exception to the rule, because this country traditionally professes a policy of non-alignment with blocs of any states, adhering to independence and independence in foreign policy.

    As many experts note, membership in the SCO largely meets the geopolitical interests of its members. Thus, some SCO initiatives are obviously aimed at weakening American influence in the region, which is in line with China's desire to weaken American influence in the region and corresponds to Russia's desire to create a multipolar world, voiced back in the days of Foreign Minister and then Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Yevgeny Primakov. In the words of Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov after the Moscow summit in 2003, "The SCO must become a new type of modern organization that meets the requirements of a multipolar world."

    Mikhail Lipkin

    APPENDIX

    CHARTER OF THE SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION

    Meeting of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, St. Petersburg, June 7, 2002

    The Republic of Kazakhstan, the People's Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan, which are the founding states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (hereinafter referred to as the SCO or the Organization),

    based on the historically established ties of their peoples;

    seeking to further deepen all-round cooperation;

    desiring by joint efforts to contribute to strengthening peace, ensuring security and stability in the region in the context of the development of processes of political multipolarity, economic and information globalization;

    Convinced that the creation of the SCO contributes to a more effective joint use of emerging opportunities and countering new challenges and threats;

    believing that interaction within the framework of the SCO contributes to unlocking the enormous potential of good neighborliness, unity and cooperation between states and their peoples;

    proceeding from the spirit of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, mutual consultations, respect for the diversity of cultures and the desire for common development established at the meeting of the heads of six states in Shanghai (2001);

    Noting that compliance with the principles set forth in the Agreement between the Russian Federation, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan and the People's Republic of China on confidence-building in the military field in the border area of ​​26 April 1996 and in the Agreement between the Russian Federation, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan and the People's Republic of China on the mutual reduction of armed forces in the border area of ​​April 24, 1997, as well as in documents signed during the summit meetings of the heads of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People's Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan from 1998 to 2001, made an important contribution to maintaining peace, security and stability in the region and throughout the world;

    Reaffirming their commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, other generally recognized principles and norms of international law relating to the maintenance of international peace, security and the development of good neighborly and friendly relations, as well as cooperation between States;

    Guided by the provisions of the Declaration on the Establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization of June 15, 2001;

    agreed on the following:

    Goals and objectives

    The main goals and objectives of the SCO are:

    strengthening of mutual trust, friendship and good-neighbourliness between member states;

    development of multidisciplinary cooperation in order to maintain and strengthen peace, security and stability in the region, to promote the construction of a new democratic, just and rational political and economic international order;

    joint counteraction to terrorism, separatism and extremism in all their manifestations, combating drug and arms trafficking, other types of transnational criminal activity, as well as illegal migration;

    encouragement of effective regional cooperation in political, trade and economic, defense, law enforcement, environmental protection, cultural, scientific and technical, educational, energy, transport, credit and financial and other areas of common interest;

    promotion of comprehensive and balanced economic growth, social and cultural development in the region through joint actions based on equal partnership in order to steadily improve the level and improve the living conditions of the peoples of the Member States;

    coordination of approaches to integration into the world economy;

    promotion of human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the international obligations of the Member States and their national legislation;

    maintenance and development of relations with other states and international organizations;

    interaction in the prevention of international conflicts and their peaceful settlement;

    joint search for solutions to problems that will arise in the twenty-first century.

    Principles

    The SCO member states adhere to the following principles:

    mutual respect for the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity of states and the inviolability of state borders, non-aggression, non-interference in internal affairs, non-use of force or threat of force in international relations, renunciation of unilateral military superiority in adjacent areas;

    equality of all member states, search for common points of view based on mutual understanding and respect for the opinions of each of them;

    step-by-step implementation of joint actions in areas of common interest;

    peaceful resolution of disagreements between Member States;

    non-direction of the SCO against other states and international organizations;

    preventing any illegal actions directed against the interests of the SCO;

    conscientious fulfillment of the obligations arising from this Charter and other documents adopted within the framework of the SCO.

    Areas of cooperation

    The main areas of cooperation within the SCO are:

    maintaining peace and strengthening security and confidence in the region;

    search for common points of view on foreign policy issues of common interest, including in international organizations and international forums;

    development and implementation of measures to jointly counter terrorism, separatism and extremism, drug and arms trafficking, other types of transnational criminal activity, as well as illegal migration;

    coordination of efforts on disarmament and arms control issues;

    supporting and encouraging regional economic cooperation in various forms, promoting the creation of favorable conditions for trade and investment in order to gradually realize the free movement of goods, capital, services and technologies;

    efficient use of the existing infrastructure in the field of transport and communications, improvement of the transit potential of the Member States, development of energy systems;

    ensuring rational nature management, including the use of water resources in the region, the implementation of joint special environmental programs and projects;

    provision of mutual assistance in the prevention of natural and man-made emergencies and the elimination of their consequences;

    exchange of legal information in the interests of developing cooperation within the framework of the SCO;

    expansion of interaction in the field of science and technology, education, healthcare, culture, sports and tourism.

    The SCO member states may, by mutual agreement, expand the areas of cooperation.

    1. To fulfill the goals and objectives of this Charter, the following shall operate within the Organization:

    Council of Heads of State;

    Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers);

    Council of Foreign Ministers;

    Meetings of heads of ministries and/or departments;

    Council of National Coordinators;

    Regional antiterrorist structure;

    Secretariat.

    2. The functions and procedures for the work of the SCO bodies, with the exception of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, are determined by the relevant provisions, which are approved by the Council of Heads of State.

    3. The Council of Heads of State may decide to establish other bodies of the SCO. The creation of new bodies is formalized in the form of additional protocols to this Charter, which enter into force in the manner prescribed by Article 21 of this Charter.

    Council of Heads of State

    The Council of Heads of State is the supreme body of the SCO. It determines the priorities and develops the main directions of the Organization's activities, resolves the fundamental issues of its internal structure and functioning, interaction with other states and international organizations, and also considers the most pressing international problems.

    The Council meets for regular meetings once a year. The chairmanship at a meeting of the Council of Heads of State shall be carried out by the head of state - the organizer of the next meeting. The venue for the next meeting of the Council is determined, as a rule, in the Russian alphabetical order of the names of the SCO member states.

    Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers)

    The Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) adopts the budget of the Organization, considers and decides on the main issues related to specific, especially economic, areas of development of interaction within the framework of the Organization.

    The Council meets for regular meetings once a year. The meeting of the Council is chaired by the head of government (Prime Minister) of the state in whose territory the meeting is held.

    The venue of the next meeting of the Council is determined by prior agreement of the heads of government (prime ministers) of the Member States.

    Council of Foreign Ministers

    The Council of Foreign Ministers considers the current activities of the Organization, the preparation of a meeting of the Council of Heads of State and the holding of consultations within the framework of the Organization on International Problems. The Council may, if necessary, make statements on behalf of the SCO.

    The Council meets, as a rule, one month before the meeting of the Council of Heads of State. Extraordinary meetings of the Council of Foreign Ministers are convened on the initiative of at least two Member States and with the consent of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of all other Member States. The venue of the regular and extraordinary meetings of the Council is determined by mutual agreement.

    The chairmanship of the Council shall be exercised by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Member State of the Organization on whose territory the regular meeting of the Council of Heads of State is held, for a period starting from the date of completion of the last ordinary meeting of the Council of Heads of State and ending with the date of the ordinary meeting of the Council of Heads of State.

    The Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs represents the Organization in the implementation of external contacts in accordance with the Regulations on the Procedure of the Council.

    Meetings of heads of ministries and / or departments

    In accordance with the decisions of the Council of Heads of State and the Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers), the heads of sectoral ministries and / or departments of the Member States hold meetings on a regular basis to consider specific issues of developing cooperation in relevant areas within the framework of the SCO.

    The chairmanship is carried out by the head of the relevant ministry and / or department of the host state of the meeting. The place and time of the meeting will be agreed in advance.

    For the preparation and holding of meetings, by prior agreement of the Member States, working groups of experts can be created on a permanent or temporary basis, which carry out their activities in accordance with the work regulations approved at meetings of heads of ministries and / or departments. These groups are formed from representatives of ministries and/or departments of member states.

    Council of National Coordinators

    The Council of National Coordinators is the body of the SCO that coordinates and manages the current activities of the Organization. He carries out the necessary preparations for the meetings of the Council of Heads of State, the Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) and the Council of Foreign Ministers. National Focal Points are appointed by each Member State in accordance with its internal rules and procedures.

    The Council meets at least three times a year. The chairmanship of the Council shall be exercised by the national coordinator of the Member State of the Organization, on whose territory the regular meeting of the Council of Heads of State will be held, for a period starting from the date of completion of the last regular meeting of the Council of Heads of State and ending with the date of the regular meeting of the Council of Heads of State.

    The Chairman of the Council of National Coordinators, on behalf of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, may represent the Organization in external contacts in accordance with the Regulations on the Procedure for the Council of National Coordinators.

    Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure

    The Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the States Parties to the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism of June 15, 2001, located in the city of Bishkek (Kyrgyz Republic) is a permanent body of the SCO.

    Its main tasks and functions, the principles of formation and financing, as well as the procedure for its activities are regulated by a separate international agreement concluded between the Member States, and other necessary documents adopted by them.

    Secretariat

    The Secretariat is a permanent administrative body of the SCO. It provides organizational and technical support for the events held within the framework of the SCO, prepares proposals for the organization's annual budget.

    The Secretariat is headed by the Executive Secretary, who is approved by the Council of Heads of State on the proposal of the Council of Foreign Ministers.

    The Executive Secretary is appointed from among the citizens of the Member States on a rotational basis in the Russian alphabetical order of the names of the Member States for a period of three years without the right to renew for another term.

    The Deputy Executive Secretaries are approved by the Council of Foreign Ministers on the proposal of the Council of National Coordinators. They may not be representatives of the State for which the Executive Secretary is appointed.

    Secretariat officials are recruited from among the citizens of the Member States on a quota basis.

    In the performance of their duties, the Executive Secretary, his deputies and other officers of the Secretariat shall not seek or receive instructions from any Member State and/or government, organizations or individuals. They must refrain from any action that could affect their position as international officials responsible only to the SCO.

    Member States undertake to respect the international nature of the duties of the Executive Secretary, his deputies and Secretariat staff and not to influence them in the performance of their official duties.

    The seat of the SCO Secretariat is the city of Beijing (People's Republic of China).

    Financing

    The SCO has its own budget, which is formed and executed in accordance with a special Agreement between the member states. This Agreement also determines the amounts of contributions that Member States make annually to the budget of the Organization on the basis of the principle of shared participation.

    Budget funds are directed to finance the permanent bodies of the SCO in accordance with the above-mentioned Agreement. The Member States bear the costs associated with the participation of their representatives and experts in the Organization's events.

    Membership

    The SCO is open for admission to its membership of other states of the region, which undertake to comply with the purposes and principles of this Charter, as well as the provisions of other international treaties and documents adopted within the framework of the SCO.

    The decision on the admission of new members to the SCO is made by the Council of Heads of State on the proposal of the Council of Foreign Ministers on the basis of an official application of the interested state sent to the current Chairman of the Council of Foreign Ministers.

    Membership in the SCO of a member state that violates the provisions of this Charter and / or systematically fails to fulfill its obligations under international treaties and documents concluded within the framework of the SCO may be suspended on the proposal of the Council of Foreign Ministers by decision of the Council of Heads of State. If this state continues to violate its obligations, then the Council of Heads of State may decide to expel it from the SCO from a date determined by the Council itself.

    Any member state has the right to withdraw from the SCO by sending the depositary an official notice of withdrawal from this Charter no later than twelve months before the date of withdrawal. Obligations that have arisen during the period of participation in this Charter and other documents adopted within the framework of the SCO, bind the respective states until they are fully implemented.

    Relations with other states and international organizations

    The SCO can enter into interaction and dialogue, including in certain areas of cooperation, with other states and international organizations.

    The SCO can grant the interested state or international organization the status of dialogue partner or observer. The procedure and procedures for granting such status are established by a special agreement between the Member States.

    This Charter does not affect the rights and obligations of Member States under other international treaties to which they are parties.

    Legal capacity

    The SCO as a subject of international law has international legal capacity. It shall enjoy in the territory of each Member State such legal capacity as is necessary for the realization of its aims and objectives.

    The SCO enjoys the rights of a legal entity and can, in particular:

    - conclude contracts;

    – acquire movable and immovable property and dispose of it;

    - act in courts as a plaintiff or defendant;

    – open accounts and make transactions with funds.

    Decision-making procedure

    Decisions in the SCO bodies are taken by agreement without voting and are considered adopted if none of the member states objected to them during the agreement process (consensus), with the exception of decisions to suspend membership or expel from the Organization, which are made on the basis of the “consensus” principle. minus one vote of the Member State concerned.”

    Any member state may express its point of view on certain aspects and/or specific issues of decisions being made, which is not an obstacle to making a decision as a whole. This point of view is recorded in the minutes of the meeting.

    In cases where one or more Member States are not interested in the implementation of individual cooperation projects that are of interest to other Member States, the non-participation of the said Member States in them does not prevent the implementation of such cooperation projects by the interested Member States and, at the same time, does not prevent the said States Members to further join in the implementation of such projects.

    Execution of decisions

    The decisions of the SCO bodies are executed by the member states in accordance with the procedures determined by their national legislation.

    Control over the fulfillment of the obligations of the Member States in relation to the implementation of this Charter, other treaties in force within the framework of the SCO and decisions of its bodies is carried out by the SCO bodies within their competence.

    permanent representatives

    The member states, in accordance with their internal rules and procedures, appoint their permanent representatives to the SCO Secretariat, who will be part of the diplomatic staff of the embassies of the member states in Beijing.

    Privileges and Immunities

    The SCO and its officials enjoy on the territories of all member states the privileges and immunities that are necessary to perform the functions and achieve the goals of the Organization.

    The scope of privileges and immunities of the SCO and its officials is determined by a separate international treaty.

    The official and working languages ​​of the SCO are Russian and Chinese.

    Validity and entry into force

    This Charter is concluded for an indefinite period.

    This Charter shall be subject to ratification by the signatory states and shall enter into force on the thirtieth day after the date of the fourth instrument of ratification being deposited with the depositary.

    For a state that has signed this Charter and ratified it later, it shall enter into force on the date of its deposit with the depositary of its instrument of ratification.

    After the entry into force of this Charter, it is open for accession by any state.

    For the acceding State, this Charter shall enter into force on the thirtieth day from the date of receipt by the depositary of the relevant instruments of accession.

    Dispute Resolution

    In the event of disputes and disagreements arising in connection with the interpretation or application of this Charter, the Member States will resolve them through consultations and negotiations.

    Changes and additions

    This Charter may be amended and supplemented by mutual agreement of the Member States. Decisions of the Council of Heads of State on amendments and additions are drawn up in separate protocols, which are its integral part and enter into force in the manner prescribed by Article 21 of this Charter.

    Reservations

    No reservations may be made to this Charter that are contrary to the principles, goals and objectives of the Organization, and may also prevent the performance of any SCO body of its functions. In the event that at least 2/3 of the Member States have objections, the reservations must be considered as contrary to the principles, goals and objectives of the Organization or hindering the performance of any body of its functions and having no legal force.

    Depository

    The depositary of this Charter is the People's Republic of China.

    Registration

    This Charter, in accordance with Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations, is subject to registration with the Secretariat of the United Nations.

    Done in the city of St. Petersburg on June 7, 2002 in one copy in the Russian and Chinese languages, both texts being equally authentic.

    An original copy of this Charter shall be deposited with the depositary, who shall send certified copies to all signatory States.

    For the Republic

    Kazakhstan

    For Chinese

    People's

    Republic

    For the Kyrgyz

    Republic

    For the Russian

    Federation

    For the Republic of Tajikistan

    For the Republic of Uzbekistan

    Literature:

    Systematic history of international relations in 4 volumes. events and documents. 1918–2003. Ed. A.D. Bogaturova. Volume three. Events. 1945–2003 Section IV. Globalization. Chapter 13. M, NOFMO, 2003
    Lukin A., Mochulsky A. Shanghai Cooperation Organization: structural design and development prospects. – Analytical notes. M., MGIMO, vol. 2(4), February 2005

    
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