SCO bodies. What is the SCO? Non-governmental structures of the SCO
The other day a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries will be held in Dushanbe. It has not yet been fully formed; its long-term agenda and areas of interaction are being clarified. But measures are already being discussed and taken on the most important issues for the participating countries. global and regional problems. IN live Ambassador Extraordinary Plenipotentiary, leading employee of the Institute visited the video channel site international studies MGIMO (U) Russian Foreign Ministry Mikhail Konarovsky.
SCO summit: Russia will go to the East?
— The main objectives of the SCO: ensuring the security of member countries, economic cooperation and mutual cultural exchange. We have a special coordinator in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for SCO affairs, who is also the representative of the President of the Russian Federation for SCO affairs. I worked for three years as a deputy Secretary General The SCO in the secretariat in Beijing dealt with political issues, security and other key tasks.
— When will the SCO Development Bank be created?
— In principle, it is already in the process of creation. There were contradictions regarding 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 is really interested in this bank. 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.
- And 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 states Of course, we supported this idea when Putin was on a visit to China.
This is a truly large-scale task, but so far it has not materialized into any specific proposals or projects. The SCO countries are constantly trying to find more common denominators and approaches to solving common problems.
Previously, the West was very actively discussing the issue that the SCO was sort of like an analogue, a prototype of NATO. This is wrong. There is no military component in the SCO. Joint military activities are not provided for in the charter, but security issues are important for everyone.
— Is this what the CSTO does?
— Yes, but the CSTO is completely different. The CSTO includes Russia and several countries former USSR, including Central Asia. The SCO and CSTO have no direct relationship with each other, but they can cooperate to some extent.
— Not long ago, leaders gathered in Beijing general staffs five SCO countries...
— These are standard regular meetings. They exchange views on issues important to the participants.
The situation in Afghanistan, as you know, is extremely complex and difficult from the point of view of future prospects, especially after the withdrawal of American 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 happens affects them greatly. Instability in Afghanistan could quickly spread to Central Asia. Some political scientists are trying to hush this up, saying that there seems to be no reason to worry, it’s not that important. In fact it really is real threat. Instability that could spill beyond Afghanistan's borders, mainly to the north, is dangerous. From there, fundamentalist influences can seep in and representatives of military-political groups, including immigrants 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 Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. For the Chinese this is a very big and growing headache. Because the situation there is really very unstable. All this is being discussed regionally. We do not give recipes to the Chinese on how or what to do, just as they do not give us recipes.
— What if, for example, the Taliban penetrates or launches a direct invasion of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Uyghur territories?
“Then collective and bilateral military action will be taken against this outrage.” The CSTO has corresponding structures. And all SCO countries except Uzbekistan are members of the CSTO from Central Asia. 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 on how and what is being done and planned. Although the SCO military structure no, security issues are among the main ones. China recently conducted counter-terrorism exercises. They are aimed specifically at practicing counteraction to some possible terrorist attacks.
— What about the fight against drugs?
— This is also on the SCO agenda. Absolutely. There are annual very productive meetings of the heads of anti-drug departments of all SCO countries. A very effective regional anti-terrorist structure of the SCO operates in Tashkent. They specifically deal with issues of collective interaction in this area. This work will intensify. Plus, it is planned to transfer issues related to drugs there. If previously this was mainly done in Beijing, now they have 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, are showing active interest... They are quite actively participating in these discussions, not yet being members.
By the way, at the upcoming Dushanbe summit the issue of technical processing of applications for new members will be discussed. This is a very important milestone, which will 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 for these countries, and for the SCO, including Russia, especially considering 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.
- Just 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 this 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 demonstrated by Kabul and Ankara. It is aimed at ensuring that Afghanistan is increasingly incorporated into regional economic cooperation organizations.
— The Americans, connecting the Europeans, are attacking us Lately constantly pressed. Are the Americans putting pressure on China in the same way along with the Japanese?
- Certainly. It is not without reason that the recently adopted American military strategy paid the main military-political attention to East Asia. And the main military forces were sent there. I don’t know how they will act now given the situation. They want to strengthen NATO along Russia's borders. In general, they will have to change a lot. They claim that they will leave Afghanistan by 2016. But why then do they 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 strive to spoil us everywhere. This is clear. Especially now. The Western theater was deployed in Ukraine. Now they will try to aggravate the situation in the southern theater, of course. They strive to grab everything for themselves. But this is unrealistic. We also have our own line of relations with Afghanistan. It was and remains open. The same goes for the Chinese. They did not fall under the Americans. And they provide assistance to Afghanistan not through them, but directly. Now it is very important that external forces, who are so worried about the situation in Afghanistan, work together.
— For now, the SCO is still in its infancy. Is its potential greater than what is currently being used?
- Very correct. Absolutely spot on. The potential of the SCO is quite large and has not yet been fully realized.
Interviewed by Said Gafurov
Today our planet has more than 250 states, on whose territory more than 7 billion people live. To successfully conduct business in all spheres of society, we establish various organizations, membership in which gives participating countries advantages and support from other states.
One of them is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). This is the Eurasian political, economic and military formation, which was established in 2001 by the leaders of the Shanghai Five, founded in 1996, which at that time included China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. After Uzbekistan joined, the organization was renamed.
From the Shanghai Five to the SCO - how did it happen?
As mentioned above, the SCO is a community of states, the basis for the creation of which was the signing of the Treaty in Shanghai, China in April 1996, officially establishing the deepening of military trust on the borders of states between Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, as well as the conclusion between the same states after a year of the Treaty, which reduces the number of armed forces in the border areas.
After this, the organization’s summits began to be held every year. In 1998, the capital of Kazakhstan, Alma-Ata, became the platform for meetings of the participating countries, and in 1999, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek. In 2000, the leaders of the five countries met in the capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe.
The following year, the annual summit was again held in Shanghai, China, where the five turned into six thanks to Uzbekistan joining it. Therefore, if you want to know exactly which countries are members of the SCO, let’s summarize: now the organization has six countries as full members: Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, Kyrgyzstan, 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, which noted the positive role of the Shanghai Five, and also expressed the desire of the leaders of the countries to transfer cooperation within its framework to a higher level. In 2001, on July 16, the two leading SCO countries - Russia and China - signed the Treaty on Good Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation.
Almost a year later, a meeting of the heads of the organization’s member countries 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, SCO member states occupy more than half of the Eurasian landmass. And the population of these countries makes up one quarter of the total world population. If we take into account the observer states, the residents of the SCO countries are half the population of our planet, which was noted at the July 2005 summit held in Astana. It was visited for the first time by representatives of India, Mongolia, Pakistan and Iran. Nursultan Nazarbayev, the President of Kazakhstan, the country hosting the summit that year, noted this fact in his welcoming speech. If you want to have an accurate idea of how the SCO countries are geographically located, a map that clearly shows this 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 others that were raised during the discussion by officials representing the SCO countries. The list was not limited by anything: the subject of discussion was any topic that, in the opinion of the meeting participants, required attention from the public.
In addition, relations have been established with other international communities. This is where the SCO is an observer of the General Assembly, European Union(EU), Association of States South-East Asia(ASEAN from the English Association of South-East Asian Nations), Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). A summit of the SCO and BRICS is planned for 2015 in the capital of the Russian Republic of Bashkortostan, Ufa, one of the goals of which is to establish business and partnership relations between these two organizations.
Structure
The highest body of the organization is the Council of Heads of State. They make decisions within the framework of the community's work. Meetings take place at summits held annually in one of the capitals of the member countries. Currently, the Council of Heads of State consists of the following presidents: Kyrgyzstan - Almazbek Atambayev, 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 summits annually, discussing issues related to multilateral cooperation, and approving the organization's budget.
The Council of Foreign Ministers also meets on a regular basis to talk about the current international situation. In addition, interaction with other organizations becomes a topic of conversation. Of particular interest on the eve of the Ufa summit are the relations between the SCO and BRICS.
The Council of National Coordinators, as its name suggests, coordinates multilateral cooperation between states, regulated by the SCO Charter.
The secretariat functions as the main executive body in the community. They implement organizational decisions and decrees and prepare draft documents (declarations, programs). It also acts as a documentary depository, organizes specific events at which SCO member countries work, and promotes the dissemination of information about the organization and its activities. The secretariat is located in the capital of China, Beijing. His current CEO- Dmitry Fedorovich Mezentsev, 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 in relation to 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 its country to the anti-terrorist structure.
Security Cooperation
The SCO countries actively carry out activities in the field of security, focusing primarily on the problems of ensuring it for the participating states. This is especially relevant today with regard to the danger to which SCO members in Central Asia may be exposed. As mentioned earlier, the organization’s tasks include countering terrorism, separatism and extremism.
At the June 2004 SCO summit, held in the capital of Uzbekistan, Tashkent, the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) was established and subsequently created. In April 2006, the organization issued a statement announcing its 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 does not intend to be one, however, the increased threat of phenomena such as terrorism, extremism and separatism makes security activities impossible without the full-scale involvement of the armed forces.
In the fall of 2007, in October, in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, an agreement was signed with the CSTO (Treaty Treaty Organization collective security). The purpose of this was to expand cooperation on security issues, combating crime and illicit drug trafficking. A joint action plan between the organizations was approved in Beijing in early 2008.
In addition, the SCO actively opposes cyberwars, declaring 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 by one state the political, economic and social system another state.
Cooperation between members of the organization in the military sphere
IN last years The organization is active, the goals of which are close military cooperation, the fight against terrorism and the exchange of intelligence information.
During this time, SCO members conducted 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, Russia and China, under the auspices of the SCO, have conducted large-scale military exercises in 2005, 2007 (“Peace Mission 2007”) and 2009.
More than 4,000 Chinese soldiers took part in joint military exercises in 2007. Chelyabinsk region, agreed a year earlier during a meeting of SCO defense ministers. During them, both and precision weapons. The then Russian Defense Minister 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, so 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, Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Tajik military personnel to conduct exercises related to operational maneuvers and military operations planning.
The SCO is a platform for important military statements made by member countries. Thus, during the 2007 Russian exercise, during a meeting of leaders, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russian strategic bombers were resuming their flights to patrol the territory for the first time since the Cold War.
Activities of the SCO in the economy
In addition to membership in the SCO, the countries of the organization, with the exception of China, are members of the Eurasian Economic Community. The signing of the SCO states, which takes economic cooperation to a new level, occurred in September 2003. There, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao proposed in the future to work on creating a free trade zone on the territory of the SCO countries, as well as take other measures to improve the flow of goods within it. This proposal resulted in the signing of a plan of 100 specific actions in 2004.
In October 2005, a Moscow meeting at top level was marked by a statement by the Secretary General that the SCO organization would pay priority attention to joint energy projects, including both the oil and gas sector and the sharing water resources and development of new hydrocarbon reserves. Also at this summit, the creation of the SCO Interbank Council was approved, whose tasks were to include financing future joint projects. Its first meeting was held in Beijing, China in February 2006, and in November of the same year it became known about the development Russian plans regarding 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 committed to implementing 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 was an excellent place to design a new banking system that would not depend on international ones.
At the June 2009 summit in Yekaterinburg, which the SCO and BRICS (at that time still BRIC) countries 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 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 the meeting, a joint statement was signed confirming the continuation of cooperation in this area.
Under the auspices of the SCO, in Astana, Kazakhstan in 2005, along with the next summit, an art festival and exhibition were held for the first time. 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 states that the Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) holds a summit once a year on the territory of the organization’s member states in a place determined in advance by its members. The Council of Foreign Ministers meets a month before the annual summit held by heads of state. If it is necessary to convene an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers, it can be organized at the initiative of any two participating states.
Who might join the SCO in the future?
In the summer of 2010 there was procedure approved to admit new members, but so far none of the countries wishing to join the organization have become its full members. However, some of these states participated in SCO summits in observer status. 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, the potential SCO and BRICS countries hold 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 it as one of the most important future strategic partners, has called on it to become a full member of the SCO. This Russian initiative was also supported by China.
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 the temporary blocking of the country's admission to the SCO. Observer countries include Mongolia and Pakistan. The latter also strives to join the organization. The Russian side openly supports this aspiration.
Partnership for Dialogue
The Regulations on Dialogue Partners appeared in 2008. It is set out in Article 14 of the Charter. In it, the dialogue partner is considered as a state or international organization, which shares the principles and goals pursued by the SCO, and is also interested in establishing relations of mutually beneficial and equal partnership.
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 list of dialogue partners.
Cooperation with Western countries
Most Western observers are of the opinion that the SCO should create a counterbalance to the United States and to prevent possible conflicts that would allow the United States to interfere in domestic policy neighboring countries - Russia and China. America tried to obtain observer status in the organization, but its application was rejected in 2006.
At the 2005 summit in Astana, in connection with military operations 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 for the American authorities to set a deadline for the withdrawal of troops from the SCO member states . After this, Uzbekistan voiced a request to close the K-2 airbase on its territory.
Although the organization has not made any direct critical statements regarding US foreign policy actions and its presence in the region, some indirect statements on recent meetings was 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 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, strives 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 carrying out work aimed at creating a fair and rational world order and the formation of a fundamentally new model of geopolitical integration. This activity is carried out as actively as work related to other areas of society.
Chinese media report 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.
2.1 Goals, objectives and principles of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Mechanisms and organizational structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
On June 15, 2001 in Shanghai, the heads of state 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, highly appreciating the positive role of the Shanghai Five and believing that the creation and development of the Shanghai Five met the needs of humanity and historical development these states signed the “Declaration on the Establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization”. Based on the “Declaration on the Establishment of the SCO”, on June 7, 2002, at the summit in St. Petersburg, the Charter of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was signed.
The Charter consists of 26 articles that define the goals and objectives of the SCO, principles, areas of cooperation, organizational structure of the SCO, financing, relations with other states and international organizations, validity and entry into force, as well as language, dispute resolution, changes and additions.
In accordance with the Charter, the main goals and objectives of the SCO are:
1. strengthening mutual trust, friendship and good neighborliness between the Member States;
2. development of multidisciplinary cooperation in order to maintain and strengthen peace, security and stability in the region, promote the construction of a new democratic, fair and rational political and economic international order;
3. joint counteraction to terrorism, separatism and extremism in all their manifestations, the fight against illegal drug and weapons trafficking, other types of criminal transnational activities, as well as illegal migration;
4. encouraging effective regional cooperation in political, trade, economic, defense, law enforcement, environmental, cultural, scientific and technical, educational, energy, transport, credit and financial and other areas of common interest;
5. promoting comprehensive and balanced economic growth, social and cultural development in the region through joint actions on the basis of equal partnership in order to steadily increase the level and improve the living conditions of the peoples of the Member States;
6. coordination of approaches during integration into world economy;
7. promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the international obligations of member states and their national legislation;
8. maintaining and developing relations with other states and international organizations;
9. interaction in prevention international conflicts and their peaceful settlement;
10. joint search for solutions to problems that will arise in the 21st century.
The SCO member states adhere to following principles:
1.mutual respect for sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity states and inviolability 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;
2.equality of all member states, search for common points of view based on mutual understanding and respect for the opinions of each of them;
3.phased implementation of joint actions in areas of common interest;
4.peaceful resolution of disagreements between member states;
6.preventing any illegal actions directed against the interests of the SCO;
7. conscientious fulfillment of obligations arising from this Charter and other documents adopted within the SCO.
Unlike the Shanghai Five, the SCO is beginning to adhere to new principles: the gradual implementation of joint actions in areas of common interest, the prevention of any illegal actions directed against the interests of the SCO, as well as the non-direction of the SCO against other states and international organizations.
To fulfill the goals and objectives of the Charter, the following supranational institutions 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 departments;
Council of National Coordinators;
Regional anti-terrorist structure;
Secretariat.
All these bodies are executive structures, and there is no body like a parliamentary assembly or a single court. This shows the initial level of institutional development of the SCO.
The functions and operating procedures of the SCO bodies, with the exception of the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure, are determined by the relevant provisions, which are approved by the Council of Heads of State.
The Council of Heads of State may decide to create other SCO bodies. The creation of new bodies is formalized in the form of additional protocols to the Charter.
The Council of Heads of State is supreme body SCO. He determines priorities and develops the main directions of the Organization’s activities, decides fundamental issues 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 is carried out by the head of state organizing the next meeting. The location of the next meeting of the Council is determined, as a rule, in the order of the Russian alphabet of the names of the SCO member states.
The Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) adopts the Organization's budget, considers and resolves major issues related to specific, especially economic, areas of development of interaction within the Organization.
The Council meets for regular meetings once a year. The Council meeting is chaired by the head of government (Prime Minister) of the state in whose territory the meeting is being held.
The location of the next meeting of the Council is determined by prior agreement of the heads of government (prime ministers)
member states.
The Council of Foreign Ministers considers issues of the current activities of the Organization, preparation for a meeting of the Council of Heads of State and consultations within the Organization on international issues. The Council may, if necessary, make statements on behalf of the SCO.
The Council usually meets 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 foreign ministers of all other member states. The location of the regular and extraordinary meetings of the Council is determined by mutual agreement.
The Council is chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the member state of the Organization, on whose territory the next meeting of the Council of Heads of State is held.
The Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, when carrying out external contacts, represents the Organization in accordance with the Regulations on the procedure for the work of the Council.
In accordance with the decisions of the Council of Heads of State and the Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers), heads of line ministries and departments of the member states regularly hold meetings to consider specific issues of developing interaction in relevant areas within the SCO.
The chairmanship is carried out by the head of the relevant ministry or department of the state organizing the meeting. The place and time of the meeting are agreed upon in advance.
To prepare and conduct 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 or departments. These groups are formed from representatives of ministries or departments of member states.
The Council of National Coordinators is the SCO body that coordinates and manages the current activities of the Organization. It carries out the necessary preparations for 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 Council is presided over by the national coordinator of the member state of the Organization on whose territory the next meeting of the Council of Heads of State will be held, for the 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 next 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 when carrying out external contacts in accordance with the Regulations on the procedure for the work of the Council of National Coordinators.
The regional anti-terrorist structure of the member states of the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism of June 15, 2001, located in the city of Bishkek, is a permanent body of the SCO.
Its main tasks and functions, principles of formation and financing, as well as the procedure for operation are regulated by a separate international treaty concluded between the member states and other necessary documents accepted by them.
If necessary, the Council of Heads of SCO Member States may establish RATS branches in the territories of the Parties. The status of the RATS branch and the persons working in it is determined by an agreement between the SCO and the government of the host state.
RATS is intended to facilitate coordination and interaction between the competent authorities of the Parties in the fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism.
In its activities, RATS is guided by documents and decisions related to the fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism adopted within the SCO. RATS interacts with the competent authorities of the Parties, including the exchange of information, and prepares relevant materials at the request of other SCO bodies.
The bodies of RATS are the RATS Council and the Executive Committee. The Council may create necessary subsidiary bodies. The Council consists of states that are members of the SCO. It is organized in such a way that it can function continuously. For this purpose, each Party must be permanently represented at the seat of the RATS. The Council makes binding decisions on all matters of substance, including financial matters. The Council provides annual reports on the activities of RATS to the Council of Heads of SCO Member States. A decision in the Council on any issue is considered adopted if none of the Parties objected to it.
RATS has the status of a legal entity and has the right:
Conclude contracts;
Acquire and dispose of movable and immovable property;
Open and maintain bank accounts in any currency;
Initiate lawsuits in courts and participate in legal proceedings.
These rights are exercised on behalf of RATS by the Director of the RATS Executive Committee.
RATS activities are financed from the SCO budget. The procedure for financing RATS is determined by documents regulating the SCO budget.
The main tasks and functions of RATS are:
2) assistance to the competent authorities of the Parties in the fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism;
3) collection and analysis of information received by the RATS from the Parties on issues of combating terrorism, separatism and extremism;
4) provision of information upon requests from the competent authorities of the Parties;
5) assistance in the preparation and conduct of anti-terrorist command post and operational tactical exercises;
6) assistance in the preparation and conduct of operational search and other activities to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism;
7) assistance in carrying out an international search for persons who allegedly committed these acts, with a view to bringing them to criminal responsibility;
8) participation in the preparation of international legal documents affecting the fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism;
9) assistance in training specialists and instructors for anti-terrorist units;
10) participation in the preparation and holding of scientific and practical conferences, seminars, assistance in the exchange of experience on issues of combating terrorism, separatism and extremism;
11) establishing and maintaining working contacts with international organizations involved in the fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism.
The Executive Committee consists of the Director and such personnel as may be required to ensure the smooth functioning of the RATS. The structure of the Executive Committee, as well as its staffing table approved by the Council of Heads of Government of the SCO member states based on the Director's proposals approved by the Council.
Official languages RATS are Russian and Chinese, the working language is Russian.
The Secretariat is a permanent administrative body of the SCO. It provides organizational and technical support for events held within the SCO and prepares proposals for the annual budget of the Organization.
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 order of the Russian alphabet of the names of the Member States for a period of three years without the right of extension for the next term.
Deputy Executive Secretaries are approved by the Council of Foreign Ministers on the recommendation of the Council of National Coordinators. They cannot be representatives of the state from which the Executive Secretary is appointed. Officials of the Secretariat are recruited from among citizens of Member States on a quota basis.
In the performance of their official duties, the Executive Secretary, his deputies and other officials of the Secretariat shall not seek or receive instructions from any Member State or government, organization or individual. They must refrain from any actions that could affect their position as international officials responsible only to the SCO.
Member States undertake to respect international character duties of the Executive Secretary, his deputies and Secretariat staff and not to influence them in the performance of their official duties.
It follows that this structure is supranational in nature.
The location of the SCO Secretariat is the city of Beijing.
Thus, the SCO institutions are supranational and independent of national governments.
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 amount of contributions that Member States make annually to the Organization's budget on a cost-sharing basis.
Amounts of SCO member states' contributions to the Organization's budget:
Republic of Kazakhstan – 20%;
Republic of Uzbekistan – 15%;
Republic of Tajikistan – 6%;
Republic of Kyrgyzstan – 12%;
People's Republic of China - 23.5%;
Russian Federation – 23.5%.
The Organization's budget is drawn up for a period of one calendar year, which is also a financial year, and is approved by the Council of Heads of Government.
The Organization's budget covers all estimated revenues and planned expenses for the financial year to which they relate, and is formed in US dollars. Annual fees and advances are assessed and paid in US dollars.
Amounts payable towards shared (assessed) contributions are transferred to a bank determined by the Executive Secretary in agreement with the Council of National Coordinators. Assessments are due and payable in full within thirty days of receipt of notification of contributions due from the Executive Secretary or by the first day calendar year.
The amounts of accrued annual contributions not paid by a Member State are the debt of that State to the Organization, subject to mandatory repayment.
The depositary of this Agreement is the People's Republic of China.
Budget funds are used to finance permanent SCO bodies in accordance with the above-mentioned agreement. Member states independently bear the costs associated with the participation of their representatives and experts in the activities of the Organization.
The SCO is open to admitting other states in the region as members, which undertake to comply with the goals and principles of the Charter, as well as the provisions of other international treaties and documents adopted within the SCO.
The decision on the admission of new members to the SCO is made by the Council of Heads of State upon the proposal of the Council of Foreign Ministers on the basis of an official application from the interested state sent to the current Chairman of the Council of Foreign Ministers.
Any member state has the right to withdraw from the SCO by sending an official notification of withdrawal from the Charter to the depositary no later than 12 months before the date of withdrawal. The obligations that arose during the period of participation in the Charter and other documents adopted within the SCO bind the relevant states until they are fully implemented.
Decisions in the SCO bodies are made by agreement without voting and are considered adopted if none of the member states objected to them during the approval process (consensus), with the exception of decisions on suspension of membership or expulsion from the Organization, which are made according to the “consensus” principle minus one vote of the Member State concerned.”
This principle of coordination allows us to resolve only minor issues, while a truly complex problem most often fails to be resolved due to the different positions of the parties. In particular, the SCO never recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Any member state can express its point of view on certain aspects or specific issues of decisions taken, 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 of disinterest of one or more Member States in the implementation of certain cooperation projects of interest to other Member States, the non-participation in them of these Member States does not prevent the implementation of such cooperation projects by interested Member States and, at the same time, does not prevent the said States -members to join in the implementation of such projects in the future.
In this regard, the countries that are members of the SCO practically do not bind themselves to strict obligations, which means that the SCO as an integration association is still quite weak. On the other hand, cooperation in the SCO can develop in certain areas on a bilateral or multilateral basis.
Decisions of SCO bodies are executed by member states in accordance with procedures determined by their national legislation. It follows that decisions made in the SCO may change in practice due to their dependence on national legislation. Thus, national legislation is primary in relation to the obligations of the Parties adopted within the SCO.
Monitoring the fulfillment of the obligations of the member states to implement this Charter, other treaties in force within the SCO and the decisions of its bodies is carried out by the SCO bodies within their competence. Consequently, there is no single regulatory authority.
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The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental international organization, the creation of which was announced on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai (PRC). The members of the SCO are Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and 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 in Shanghai the heads of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan signed the “Agreement on Confidence Building Measures in military field in the area of the joint border." In 1997, in Moscow, the countries signed the “Agreement on the mutual reduction of armed forces in the border area.” These two documents laid down a mechanism of mutual trust in the military field in 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 were renamed the SCO.
In June 2002, at the St. Petersburg summit of the heads of state of the SCO, the Charter of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was signed, which entered into force on September 19, 2003. This is the basic statutory document fixing the goals and principles of the Organization, its structure and main areas of activity.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which some experts say was born out of great power competition for multilateral security, economic and cultural cooperation, was initially conceived 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. Having concluded bilateral and multilateral agreements in this area, they were able to resolve almost all their problems. The only one difficult moment for these states was a long border with China, but membership in the SCO created for them guarantees of adequate actions on the part of 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, confront 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. Through 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, meetings of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO members were held in Dushanbe (Tajikistan). Participants discussed issues international security, ways of peaceful resolution of 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. Following 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 reviewed current 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 influencing Negative influence on security and stability in the SCO region. They expressed readiness to continue close cooperation in the fight against these challenges and threats.
Wherein Special attention was paid to the interaction of the SCO member states at the UN, where the closeness or coincidence of views of the SCO member states on current issues on the international agenda is manifested, which was also reflected in the text of the Dushanbe Declaration of Heads of State. The member states support the development within the UN of universal rules, principles and norms for responsible behavior of states in the information space and will continue to jointly promote the draft “Rules of Conduct in the Field of International Information Security”, circulated on behalf of the SCO member states as official document UN.
Authorized representatives of the SCO member states signed an intergovernmental Agreement on creating 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 the dialogue and expand financial and banking cooperation in order to promote economic development all SCO member states, deepening regional trade and economic ties, as well as increasing 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 quickly as possible.
The main result of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit was the adoption of documents that open up opportunities for further expansion of the bloc.
The SCO chairmanship passes to Russia, which intends to magnificently celebrate the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War Patriotic War, admit India and Pakistan to the organization of “irreconcilable friends” and hold a summit in Ufa next summer.
The main goals of the SCO include: strengthening mutual trust and good neighborliness between member countries; promoting their effective cooperation in political, trade, economic, scientific, technical and cultural fields, as well as in the field of education, energy, transport, tourism, defense environment and others; jointly ensuring and maintaining peace, security and stability in the region; progress towards the creation of a democratic, fair and rational new international political and economic order.
The observer states of the SCO are India, Mongolia, Pakistan and Iran.
At the SCO summit in Dushanbe on August 28, 2008, the Regulations on the status of the SCO dialogue partner were approved. Partner status is granted to a state or organization that shares the goals and principles of the SCO and wishes to establish relations of equal, mutually beneficial partnership with the Organization; or cooperating with the SCO in certain areas of activity.
Currently, Belarus and Sri Lanka have the status of dialogue partners.
The total area of the SCO member states is about 30.189 million square kilometers, which is 3/5 of the area of Eurasia, and the population is 1.5 billion people, which is 1/4 of the total population of the globe.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization dates back to 1996. On April 26, 1996, the heads of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan met in Shanghai with the aim of developing a common position on the entire range of problems of regional cooperation, as well as strengthening confidence-building measures in the military field. As a result of the forum, the “Agreement on Confidence Building Measures in the Military Field in the Joint Border Area” was signed.
In 1996–2000, the leaders of these countries (the “Shanghai Five”) met alternately in Shanghai, Moscow, Alma-Ata, Bishkek and Dushanbe. The Dushanbe meeting in 2000 marked the completion of the first round of meetings of the heads of state of the Shanghai Five.
On the basis of agreements on confidence-building in the military field and on the mutual reduction of armed forces in the border area, concluded between Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia and Tajikistan, respectively, in 1996 and 1997, the SCO was formed.
At a meeting of the heads of five states on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai, the leaders of the Shanghai Five accepted Uzbekistan into their ranks. On the same day, a declaration on the creation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was signed.
At the summit in St. Petersburg on June 7, 2002, the SCO Charter was adopted (came into force on September 19, 2003) - the basic statutory document fixing the goals, principles, structure and main directions of the Organization’s activities.
At the next SCO summit, held from May 28 to 29, 2003 in Moscow, the organization’s documentation was completed: the Declaration of the Heads of SCO member states was signed, approving a set of documents regulating the operation of the SCO’s statutory bodies and its financial mechanism.
An important step in strengthening the legal framework of the association was the signing in Bishkek on August 16, 2007 of the Agreement on Long-Term Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation.
The highest decision-making body in the SCO is the Council of Heads of Member States (CHS). It meets once a year and makes decisions and instructions on all important issues of the organization.
The Council of Heads of Government of the SCO Member States (CHG) meets once a year to discuss the strategy of multilateral cooperation and priority areas within the organization, resolve fundamental and current issues economic and other cooperation, and also approves the annual budget of the organization.
In addition to the meetings of the CHS and the CST, 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, economics, transport, culture, education, health, heads of law enforcement agencies, supreme and arbitration courts, and prosecutors general. The coordination mechanism within the SCO is the Council of National Coordinators of the SCO Member States (SNK). The organization has two permanent bodies - the Secretariat in Beijing under the leadership of the Secretary General and the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure in Tashkent, headed by the Director.
The Secretary General and the Director of the Executive Committee are appointed by the Council of Heads of State for a period of three years. Since January 1, 2010, these posts have been respectively occupied by Muratbek Imanaliev (Kyrgyzstan) and Dzhenisbek Jumanbekov (Kazakhstan).
The symbols of the SCO include a white flag with the organization's coat of arms in the center. The coat of arms depicts two laurel wreaths on the sides, in the center there is a symbolic image of the Eastern Hemisphere of the earth with the outlines of the earth's landmass, which is occupied by the "six", above and below there is an inscription in Chinese and Russian: "Shanghai Cooperation Organization".
The official working languages are Russian and Chinese. The headquarters is located in Beijing (China).
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources