SCO creation history composition purpose organizational structure. Shanghai Cooperation Organization (3) - Report. Decision-making procedure

25.11.2019

Last update - 06/23/2016

On June 23, the leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries gather in Tashkent for the 15th summit. The event will take place June 23-24. All the heads of the countries of the organization confirmed their participation in it. About 1,000 representatives of the SCO countries, international organizations and foreign media will also arrive in Tashkent to participate in the event.

The leaders intend to discuss what steps need to be taken to improve the activities of the organization, consider cooperation in the economy, security and counter-terrorism, and go over topical international issues.

11 documents have been prepared for the summit for signing. It is assumed that the main document following the results of the summit will be the Tashkent Declaration of the 15th anniversary of the SCO, which will reflect the approaches of the members of the organization to the prospects for its development, the position of the SCO on the current international and regional situation, and the solution of pressing security problems.

The history of the emergence and structure of the SCO

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a regional international organization founded in 2001.

The prerequisites for the creation of the SCO were laid back in the 60s of the 20th century, when the USSR and the PRC entered into negotiations to resolve territorial disputes. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, new participants in the negotiations appeared in the face of Russia and the states of Central Asia. After the PRC resolved territorial disputes with neighboring CIS states (Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan), the possibility of further development of regional cooperation appeared.

In 1996, the "Shanghai Five" was formed, which included Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. By the time the summit was held in Bishkek, a new international organization had begun to take shape. There were national coordinators appointed by each country. As a result, on June 15, 2001, the first meeting of the SCO was held in Shanghai, at which Uzbekistan was admitted to the organization.

The official working languages are Russian and Chinese. The headquarters of the SCO is located in Beijing. The symbolism of the organization includes a white flag with the emblem of the SCO in the center. The emblem depicts two laurel wreaths on the sides, in the center - a symbolic image of the eastern hemisphere of the Earth with the outlines of the earth's land, which is occupied by the "six", below and above - the inscription in Chinese and Russian: "Shanghai Cooperation Organization".

It is noted that the total territory of the countries belonging to the SCO is 61% of the Eurasian space. Its total demographic potential is one-fourth of the world's population.

Organization structure:

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 - representative of Russia Dmitry Mezentsev(appointed on June 7, 2012, in office from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2015).

SCO members

SCO member countries:

Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan,
Russia,
Tajikistan,
Uzbekistan.

Observer states:

Afghanistan,
India,
Iran,
Mongolia,
Pakistan.

Dialogue partners:

Belarus,
Turkey,
Sri Lanka.

The SCO has partnership agreements with:

CSTO,
EurAsEC,
ASEAN.

SCO goals

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, fair 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 raise 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.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a regional international association that includes Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Since 2004, the SCO has been an observer at the UN General Assembly. The history of the creation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the interaction of the countries belonging to the association and the prospects for the development of the SCO - in the TASS material.

How was the SCO established?

Intensive dialogue between the member countries of the organization began 20 years ago. In 1996, the first meeting of the heads of five states - Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan - was held in Shanghai. The summit participants signed an agreement on building confidence in the military field in the border area. Based on this agreement, a political association, known as the "Shanghai Five", arose. The main goal of the association was to ensure stability along the border of the former Soviet republics and China.
In 1997, another agreement was signed - on the mutual reduction of armed forces in the border area. The agreements were the first real steps towards military detente in the Asia-Pacific region.
The third meeting of the heads of state of the "Shanghai Five" took place in 1998, culminating in the signing of the final joint statement by the foreign ministers, which supported the proposal of Kazakhstan to convene a conference on interaction and confidence building measures in Asia.
The declaration on the main directions of the association's strategic partnership was signed in 1999. At the meeting of the leaders of the "Shanghai Five" the topic of combating cross-border crime, drug trafficking and organized crime was discussed. Particular attention was paid to the restoration of the Great Silk Road.
Successful cooperation has allowed the countries of the "five" to go beyond cross-border cooperation. In 2000, the "Shanghai Five" was transformed into the Shanghai Forum, and Uzbekistan took part in the summit as an observer.
In 2001, after Uzbekistan joined the "five", the heads of six states signed the Declaration on the establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The goals of the organization were named the stabilization of the situation in Central Asia, the strengthening of friendship and good neighborliness between the participating states, the development of cooperation in the political, economic, scientific and other spheres. As a result of the meeting, the SCO member countries signed the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism, and agreed to create a regional anti-terrorist structure with a center in Bishkek.
According to the SCO Charter, the goals of the alliance are stability and security in the region, as well as the fight against terrorism and extremism, the development of economic cooperation, energy partnership, scientific and cultural interaction. Priority areas are the development of transport infrastructure, energy, telecommunications, the oil and gas sector, agriculture, the use of water resources, etc.

How did the SCO develop in the future?

The formation of the SCO as an organization was completed in 2002. At the meeting of heads of state in St. Petersburg, the Declaration of the Heads of State of the SCO Member States and the Charter of the SCO were signed, an agreement was concluded on the establishment of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the SCO.
An important step for the SCO was the meeting of the Council of Heads of State in 2005: it decided to grant observer status to three major Asian powers - India, Iran and Pakistan. Earlier, in 2004, this status was granted to Mongolia. There was a geographical expansion of the organization, which made it possible to fundamentally increase the international weight of the SCO.
In 2007, the SCO countries signed an agreement on long-term good neighborliness, friendship and cooperation.
In 2009, a decision was made to grant dialogue partner status to Sri Lanka and Belarus.
In 2012, the leaders of the SCO countries adopted the Declaration on Building a Region of Long-Term Peace and Shared Prosperity. In the same year, Afghanistan received observer status in the SCO, and Turkey became a dialogue partner.
In 2014, India and Pakistan officially applied for membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
In 2015, the leaders of the SCO countries approved a decision to start the procedure for admitting India and Pakistan to the organization, and decisions were also signed on granting Belarus an observer status in the SCO, on granting the status of a dialogue partner to Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia and Nepal. Iran and Afghanistan also claim full membership in the SCO.

What does the SCO look like on the geopolitical map of the world?

The territory of the SCO, including observer countries, covers the space from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean and from the Arctic to the Indian Ocean and occupies 61% of the Eurasian continent.
According to the World Bank, the world's population reached 7.26 billion in 2014. The population of the SCO member countries in 2014 totaled 1.57 billion people, and taking into account the observer countries - 3.17 billion people.
The total gross domestic product (in current prices) of the SCO member states reached $12.5 trillion in 2014, i.e. 16.03% of the global indicator (for comparison: in the USA - $17.42 trillion, in the EU - $18, 47 trillion).
World GDP at purchasing power parity was $108.7 trillion in 2014. The GDP of the SCO countries at PPP for the same period was $22 trillion, i.e. 20.24% of the global one.

How is interaction carried out within the framework of the SCO?

The supreme body in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is the Council of Heads of State; leaders' summits are held once a year. The Council of Heads of Government of the SCO annually considers issues related, in particular, to the economic spheres of interaction. The Council of Foreign Ministers, the Meeting of Heads of Ministries and Departments, and the Council of National Coordinators have been established within the framework of the organization.
The two permanent bodies of the SCO are the Secretariat in Beijing and the Executive Committee of the Regional Antiterrorist Structure in Tashkent.
In 2006, the SCO Forum was formed - a public advisory and expert body created to promote and scientifically support the activities of the organization, conduct joint research on topical issues, and explain the tasks and principles of the SCO.
An important area of the SCO's activity is humanitarian cooperation. In 2007, Russia proposed the establishment of a network-based university. The decision to establish the SCO Network University (a system of interaction between universities of member countries) was made in 2008. The university began its work in 2010, it includes more than 80 universities from Belarus, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Specialists are trained in 7 areas of the master's program, including regional studies, ecology, energy, IT-technologies, nanotechnologies, pedagogy and ecology.
In 2015, Moscow hosted a presentation of the initiative to create the International Young Person's Card of the SCO Member States (SCO Youth Card). The card should become a kind of social package for young people, helping to develop humanitarian cooperation, study the culture and history of the SCO countries.

How is economic cooperation carried out within the framework of the SCO?

The first meeting of the heads of government of the SCO member states took place in 2001. At this meeting, a Memorandum was signed on the main goals and directions of regional economic cooperation and the beginning of the process of creating favorable conditions in the field of trade and investment. The joint development of the oil and gas sector, transport infrastructure, creation of conditions for the free movement of goods, capital, services and technologies are recognized as priority areas of interaction.
In 2003, in Beijing, following a meeting of the heads of government of the SCO countries, a long-term program of multilateral economic cooperation until 2020 was adopted, which provides for the creation of a common economic space within the organization. In the short term, it is planned to increase the volume of trade, and in the long term, the creation of a free trade zone. The main areas of cooperation in the document are energy, transport, agriculture, telecommunications, environmental protection, etc. The action plan for the implementation of the program was signed in 2004.
One of the priorities of the SCO is cooperation in the financial sector. The absence of a mechanism for financing joint projects has long been the main obstacle to the further development of the organization. To solve this problem, a Development Bank and a Development Fund (special account) are being created within the framework of the SCO. In 2010, China came up with the initiative to create a Development Bank for the member countries of the organization. The bank will focus on financing interstate infrastructure projects and foreign trade operations. The creation of the SCO Development Fund was proposed in 2013 by Russian President Vladimir Putin. In 2015, the intention of the SCO countries to create an International Center for Project Finance on the basis of the Interbank Association of the organization was announced.
In 2013, the SCO Energy Club, created on the initiative of Russia, began its work. A memorandum on the establishment of this organization, along with the Russian Federation and China, was signed by Afghanistan, Belarus, Mongolia, India, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkey and Sri Lanka.
In 2015, it was decided to start developing a program of regional economic cooperation for the next five years. Cooperation will be developed in 10 areas, within which about 100 projects are planned for a total of $100 billion. The main direction is the development of transport infrastructure.

How do the SCO countries cooperate in the field of security?

The SCO is not a military bloc, but the countries of the organization are considering issues related to security and the fight against terrorism. Since 2002, within the framework of security cooperation, the SCO member countries have regularly held joint anti-terrorist exercises (both on a bilateral and multilateral basis). The largest of these are the Peace Mission exercises, which have been held since 2003 (the next one is scheduled for September 2016 in Kyrgyzstan).
In 2004, a protocol on cooperation was signed between the ministries of foreign affairs of the SCO countries. The document stressed that in order to work out common points of view of the SCO countries on major international problems, it is necessary to hold consultations at various levels. Security in Central Asia, the formation of an effective system of collective security in the Asia-Pacific region, the fight against international terrorism, extremism, transnational organized crime, illegal arms and drug trafficking were named among the main issues.
In 2006, the organization announced plans to fight the international drug mafia, in 2008 - to participate in the normalization of the situation in Afghanistan.
In 2009, under the auspices of the SCO, the first large-scale international conference on Afghanistan was held with the participation of representatives of the EU, CSTO, NATO and other organizations.
On June 15, 2011, at the anniversary summit of the SCO, the heads of state of the organization approved the Anti-Drug Strategy of the SCO member states for 2011-2016 and the action program for its implementation, designed to enhance the effectiveness of joint efforts to counter the drug threat in the SCO space. At the same time, agreements were signed on conducting joint anti-terrorist measures on the territory of the SCO states, on cooperation in the field of identifying and blocking the channels of penetration into the territory of the SCO countries of persons involved in terrorist, separatist and extremist activities.
In 2012, the leaders of the SCO countries adopted a program of cooperation in the fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism for 2013-2015.
In the Bishkek Declaration of the SCO, signed in 2013, the countries of the organization declared their intention to counteract "the use of information and communication technologies to undermine the political, economic and public security of member states, counter terrorism, extremism and separatism, as well as strengthen the fight against drug trafficking, illegal trafficking in arms."

Today, our planet has more than 250 states, on the territory of which more than 7 billion people live. For the successful conduct of business in all spheres of society, various organizations are established, membership in which gives the participating countries advantages and support from other states.

One of them is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). This is a Eurasian political, economic and military formation, which was established in 2001 by the leaders of the states of the Shanghai Five founded in 1996, which at that time included China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan. After the entry of Uzbekistan, the organization was renamed.

From the Shanghai Five to the SCO - how was it?

As mentioned above, the SCO is a commonwealth of states, the basis for the creation of which was the signing in Chinese Shanghai in April 1996 of the Treaty officially establishing the deepening of military confidence on the borders of states between Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, as well as the conclusion between by the same states after a year of the Treaty, which reduces the number of armed forces in the border areas.

Since then, the organization's summits have been held every year. In 1998, the capital of Kazakhstan, Alma-Ata, in 1999, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, became a platform for meetings of the participating countries. In 2000, the leaders of the five countries met in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan.

The following year, the annual summit was again held in Shanghai, China, where the five turned into the six thanks to Uzbekistan joining it. Therefore, if you want to know exactly which countries are members of the SCO, we summarize: now the organization has six countries as full members: these are Kazakhstan, the People's Republic of China, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

In the summer of 2001, in June, all six heads of the above states signed a Declaration on the establishment of the organization, in which the positive role of the Shanghai Five was noted, and the desire of the leaders of the countries to move cooperation within its framework to a higher level was expressed. In 2001, on July 16, the two leading SCO countries - Russia and China - signed the Treaty of Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation.

Almost a year later, the meeting of the heads of the countries participating in the organization took place in St. Petersburg. During it, the SCO Charter was signed, containing the goals and principles that the organization still adheres to. It also spells out the structure and form of work, and the document itself is officially approved in accordance with international law.

Today, the SCO member states occupy more than half of the Eurasian landmass. And the population of these countries is one quarter of the world's population. If we take the observer states into account, then the inhabitants of the SCO countries are half the population of our planet, which was noted at the July 2005 summit in Astana. It was visited for the first time by representatives of India, Mongolia, Pakistan and Iran. This fact was noted in his welcoming speech by Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan, the host country of that year's summit. If you want to have an accurate idea of how the SCO countries are geographically located, a map showing this clearly is presented below.

SCO initiatives and cooperation with other organizations

In 2007, more than twenty large-scale projects related to the transport system, energy, and telecommunications were initiated. Regular meetings were held at which issues related to security, military affairs, defense, foreign policy, economy, culture, banking and all other issues raised during the discussion by officials representing the SCO countries were discussed. The list was not limited by anything: any topics that, in the opinion of the meeting participants, required public attention, became the subject of discussion.

In addition, relations with other international communities have been established. This is where the SCO is an observer of the General Assembly, the European Union (EU), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN from the English Association of South-East Asian Nations), the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). In 2015, Ufa, the capital of the Russian Republic of Bashkortostan, is scheduled to host a summit of the SCO and BRICS, one of the goals of which is to establish business and partnership relations between these two organizations.

Structure

The supreme body of the organization is the Council of Heads of State. They make decisions as part of the work of the community. The meetings take place at summits held annually in one of the capitals of the member countries. At the moment, the Presidents of the Council of Heads of State are: Kyrgyzstan - Almazbek Atambaev, China - Xi Jinping, Uzbekistan - Islam Karimov, Kazakhstan - Nursultan Nazarbayev, Russia - Vladimir Putin and Tajikistan -

The Council of Heads of Government is the second most important body in the SCO, holding annual summits, discussing issues related to multilateral cooperation, and approving the organization's budget.

The Council of Foreign Ministers also holds meetings on a regular basis, where they talk about the current international situation. In addition, the topic of conversation is interaction with other organizations. On the eve of the Ufa summit, relations between the SCO and BRICS are of particular interest.

The Council of National Coordinators, as its name implies, coordinates the multilateral cooperation of states, regulated by the SCO charter.

The secretariat has the functions of the main executive body in the community. They implement organizational decisions and decrees, prepare draft documents (declarations, programs). It also acts as a documentary depository, organizes specific events at which the SCO member countries work, and promotes the dissemination of information about the organization and its activities. The secretariat is located in Beijing, the capital of China. Its current General Director is Dmitry Fedorovich Mezentsev, a member of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation.

The headquarters of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) is located in the capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent. This is a permanent body whose main function is to develop cooperation against terrorism, separatism and extremism, which is actively pursued by the SCO organization. The head of this structure is elected for a three-year term, each member state of the community has the right to send a permanent representative from their country to the antiterrorist structure.

Security Cooperation

The SCO countries actively carry out activities in the field of security, focusing primarily on the problems of its provision to the member states. This is especially relevant today with regard to the danger that SCO members in Central Asia may be exposed to. As mentioned earlier, the tasks of the organization include countering terrorism, separatism and extremism.

At the June 2004 SCO summit, held in the capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) was established and subsequently created. In April 2006, the organization issued a statement announcing the planned fight against cross-border drug crime through counter-terrorism operations. At the same time, it was announced that the SCO is not a military bloc, and the organization is not going to be one, but the increased threat of such phenomena as terrorism, extremism and separatism makes it impossible to ensure security without the full involvement of the armed forces.

In the autumn of 2007, in October, an agreement was signed with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. The purpose of this was to expand cooperation on security issues, the fight against crime and drug trafficking. A joint action plan between the organizations was approved in Beijing in early 2008.

In addition, the SCO actively opposes cyber warfare, stating that disseminated information that harms the spiritual, moral and cultural spheres of other countries should also be considered a security threat. In accordance with the definition of the term “information war” adopted in 2009, such actions are interpreted as an act of undermining the political, economic and social system of another state by one state.

Cooperation of members of the organization in the military sphere

In recent years, the organization has been active, the goals of which are close military cooperation, the fight against terrorism and the exchange of intelligence information.

During this time, the SCO members have held a number of joint military exercises: the first was held in 2003 in two stages, first in Kazakhstan and then in China. Since that time, large-scale military exercises have been held by Russia and China under the auspices of the SCO in 2005, 2007 (“Peace Mission-2007”) and 2009.

More than 4,000 Chinese soldiers took part in a 2007 joint military exercise in the Chelyabinsk region, agreed a year earlier during a meeting of SCO defense ministers. During them, both high-precision weapons and precision weapons were actively used. The then Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, Sergei Ivanov, announced that the exercises were transparent and open to the public and the media. Their successful completion prompted the Russian authorities to expand cooperation, therefore, in the future, Russia invited India to become a participant in such exercises under the auspices of the SCO.

The "Peace Mission 2010" military exercise, held at the Kazakh Matybulak training ground in September 2010, brought together more than 5,000 Chinese, Russian, Kazakhstani, Kyrgyz and Tajik military personnel who conducted exercises together regarding operational maneuvers and planning military operations.

The SCO is a platform for important military announcements made by member states. Thus, during the Russian exercises in 2007, during the meeting of the leaders of the countries, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russian strategic bombers were resuming their flights in order to patrol the territory for the first time since the Cold War.

SCO activities in the economy

In addition to membership in the SCO, the composition of the countries of the organization, with the exception of China, is included in the Eurasian Economic Community. The signing by the SCO states, which takes economic cooperation to a new level, took place in September 2003. In the same place, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao proposed in the future to work on the creation of a free trade zone on the territory of the SCO countries, as well as to take other measures to improve the flow of goods within it. This proposal resulted in the signing in 2004 of a plan of 100 concrete actions.

In October 2005, the Moscow summit was marked by a statement by the Secretary General that the SCO would prioritize joint energy projects, including both the oil and gas sector and the joint use of water resources and the development of new hydrocarbon reserves. Also at this summit, the creation of the SCO Interbank Council was approved, whose task was to finance future joint projects. Its first meeting was held in Chinese Beijing in February 2006, and in November of the same year it became known about the development of Russian plans for the so-called "SCO Energy Club". The need for its creation was confirmed at the November 2007 summit, however, with the exception of Russia, no one undertook to implement this idea, but at the August 2008 summit it was approved.

The 2007 summit went down in history thanks to the initiative of Iranian Vice President Parviz Davoudi, who said that the SCO is a great place to design a new banking system independent of international ones.

At the June 2009 summit in Yekaterinburg, which the SCO and BRICS countries (at that time still BRIC) held at the same time, the Chinese authorities announced the allocation of a $10 billion loan to members of the organization in order to strengthen their economies in the context of the global financial crisis. .

Activities of the countries in the SCO in the field of culture

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, in addition to political, military and economic activities, is also actively engaged in cultural activities. The first meeting of the ministers of culture of the SCO countries took place in the Chinese capital Beijing in April 2002. During it, a joint statement was signed confirming the continuation of cooperation in this area.

Under the auspices of the SCO in Astana in 2005, along with the next summit, for the first time an art festival and an exhibition were held. Kazakhstan also made a proposal to hold a folk dance festival under the auspices of the organization. The proposal was accepted and the festival was held in Astana in 2008.

About holding summits

In accordance with the signed Charter, the SCO meeting at the Council of Heads of State is held every year in different cities of the participating countries. The document also says that the Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) holds a summit once a year on the territory of the member states of the organization in a place determined in advance by its members. The Council of Foreign Ministers meets a month before the annual summit held by the heads of state. If it is necessary to convene an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, it can be organized at the initiative of any two participating States.

Who can join the SCO in the future?

In the summer of 2010, the procedure for accepting new members was approved, but so far none of those wishing to join the organization has become a full member of the organization. However, some of these states were participants in the SCO summits in the status of observers. And they expressed their interest in joining the main team. Thus, in the future, Iran and Armenia may become members of the SCO. The latter, represented by Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan, during a meeting with a colleague from China, expressed interest in obtaining observer status in the Shanghai International Organization.

SCO observers

Today, potential countries of the SCO and BRICS are in this status in the organization. Afghanistan, for example, received it at the Beijing summit in 2012. India also acts as an observer and Russia, seeing in it one of the most important future strategic partners, called on it to become a full member of the SCO. China also supported this Russian initiative.

Iran, which was supposed to become a full participant in March 2008, also acts as an observer. However, the sanctions imposed by the UN caused a temporary blocking of the procedure for the admission of the country to the SCO. The observer countries include Mongolia and Pakistan. The latter also seeks to join the organization. The Russian side openly supports this aspiration.

Dialogue Partnership

The regulation on dialogue partners appeared in 2008. It is set out in Article 14 of the Charter. It considers a dialogue partner as a state or an international organization that shares the principles and goals pursued by the SCO, and is also interested in establishing mutually beneficial and equal partnership relations.

Such countries are Belarus and Sri Lanka, which received this status in 2009, during the summit in Yekaterinburg. In 2012, during the Beijing summit, Turkey joined the dialogue partners.

Cooperation with Western countries

Most Western observers are of the opinion that the SCO should create a counterbalance to the US and to prevent possible conflicts that would allow the US to interfere in the internal politics of neighboring countries - Russia and China. America tried to get observer status in the organization, but her application was rejected in 2006.

At the 2005 summit in Astana, in connection with the hostilities in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the uncertain situation regarding the presence of US military forces in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, the organization put forward a demand to the US authorities to set a deadline for the withdrawal of troops from the states that are members of the SCO . After that, Uzbekistan voiced a request to close the K-2 air base on its territory.

Although the organization did not make any direct critical statements regarding US foreign policy actions and its presence in the region, some indirect statements at recent meetings were interpreted by Western media as criticism of Washington's actions.

Geopolitics of the SCO

Recently, the geopolitical nature of the organization has also become an object of comment and discussion.

The theory says that the control of Eurasia is the key to world domination, and the ability to control the countries of Central Asia gives the power to control the Eurasian continent. Knowing which countries are members of the SCO, we can say that, despite the stated goals regarding the fight against extremism and improving the security of border areas, the organization, according to experts, seeks to balance the activities of America and NATO in Central Asia .

In the fall of 2005, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that the organization was working to create a just and rational world order and the formation of a fundamentally new model of geopolitical integration. This activity is carried out as actively as the work relating to other spheres of society.

Chinese media reports that, in accordance with the SCO Declaration, its members are obliged to ensure security in the region, and therefore they call on Western countries not to interfere in its affairs. In other words, Asian countries are uniting in order to create a worthy alternative to European international communities and build their own international community independent of the West.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a permanent regional international organization founded in June 2001 by the leaders of Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Prior to this, all countries, with the exception of Uzbekistan, were members of the "Shanghai Five", a political association based on the "Agreement on Building Confidence in the Military Field in the Border Area" (Shanghai, 1996) and the "Agreement on Mutual Reduction of Armed Forces in the Border Area" (Moscow, 1997).

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 Uzbekistan was included in the organization (2001), the "five" became the "six" and was renamed the SCO. In addition, currently four countries - Belarus, Iran, Mongolia and Afghanistan have observer status in the organization, and six - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey, Sri Lanka - dialogue partners.

The tasks of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization initially lay in the sphere of mutual intra-regional actions to suppress terrorist acts, separatism and extremism in Central Asia. In June 2002, at the St. Petersburg Summit of the SCO Heads of State, the Charter of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was signed (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. In addition, in 2006, the Organization announced plans to combat the international drug mafia as a financial backbone of terrorism in the world, and in 2008 - active participation in the normalization of the situation in Afghanistan.

In parallel, the activities of the SCO received a broad economic focus. In September 2003, the heads of government of the SCO member states signed a 20-year program of multilateral trade and economic cooperation. As a long-term goal, it is envisaged to create a free trade zone in the SCO space, and in the short term - to intensify the process of creating favorable conditions in the field of trade and investment.

Today, cooperation within the framework of the SCO covers the fields of energy, transport, agriculture, telecommunications and many other sectors of the economy. Its member countries also interact widely in the scientific, technical, cultural, educational, tourism, and humanitarian spheres.

In relations within the Organization, the SCO member states proceed from the idea of the "Shanghai spirit", adhere to the principles of consensus, mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, respect for the diversity of cultures, striving for common development. In external relations, the SCO proceeds from the principles of openness, non-affiliation with blocs, non-direction against third countries.

The highest decision-making body in the SCO is the Council of Heads of Member States, which meets once a year. Countries preside over the Organization in turn, with an annual cycle, ending their term of office with a summit.

The SCO has two permanent bodies - the Secretariat in Beijing and the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure in Tashkent. The most important economic instruments are the Business Council and the SCO Interbank Association.

The official working languages are Russian and Chinese.

In accordance with the decision of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Rashid Alimov assumed the post of SCO Secretary General in January 2016.

(SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental international organization founded by the leaders of Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. In June 2016, India and Pakistan were about to join the organization.

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.

An important step in strengthening the legal base of the association was the signing in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) in August 2007 of the Treaty on long-term good neighborliness, friendship and cooperation.

In 2006, the organization announced plans to combat the international drug mafia as a financial backbone of terrorism in the world, and in 2008, it actively participated in the normalization of the situation in Afghanistan.

The highest decision-making body in the SCO is the Council of Heads of Member States (CHS). 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.

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 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.

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.

Within the framework of the SCO, there is a mechanism of meetings at the level of heads of sectoral ministries and departments.

The most important economic structures -