Prerequisites for the creation of the SCO. Shanghai Cooperation Organization, SCO. How the SCO subsequently developed

What is the SCO?

Shanghai organization Cooperation (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental international organization.

The main goals of the SCO include: strengthening mutual trust and good neighborliness between member states; promoting their effective cooperation in political, trade, economic, scientific, technical and cultural fields, as well as in the fields 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.

In relations within the organization, the SCO member states adhere to the idea of ​​the “Shanghai spirit” and the principles of consensus and mutual trust, mutually beneficial cooperation, equality, mutual consultation, respect for the diversity of cultures and the desire for common development; and in external relations- principles of openness, non-affiliation with blocs and non-direction against third countries.

History of the creation of the SCO

The establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was announced on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai (PRC) by the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People's Republic of China, Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Prior to this, all of these countries, with the exception of Uzbekistan, were members of the “Shanghai Five” - a political association based on the Agreement on Confidence-Building Agreement in military field in the border area (Shanghai, 1996) and the Agreement on Mutual Reduction armed forces near the border (Moscow, 1997). 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 (2001), the “five” became the “six” and was renamed the SCO.

The tasks of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization initially lay in the sphere of mutual intraregional actions to suppress terrorist acts, separatism and extremism in Central Asia. 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 came into force on September 19, 2003. This is a basic statutory document that sets out the goals and principles of the organization, its structure and main areas of activity. In addition, in 2006, SCO plans were announced to combat the international drug mafia as the financial support of terrorism in the world, and in 2008 - active participation in normalizing the situation in Afghanistan.

In parallel, the activities of the SCO have also acquired a broad economic focus. In September 2003, the heads of government of the SCO member states signed the Program of Multilateral Trade and Economic Cooperation, designed for 20 years. The long-term goal is 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.

Which countries take part in the SCO?

Currently, six countries are full members of the SCO - Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan; Five countries - Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan - have observer status in the SCO, and three - Belarus, Turkey and Sri Lanka - are dialogue partners.

How many council meetingsheads of state of the SCO has it already been done?

A total of 14 meetings of the Council of Heads of SCO Member States took place:

In 2015 in Ufa ( Russian Federation) the 15th meeting of the Council of Heads of SCO Member States will take place.

How is the SCO work process organized?

The highest decision-making body in the SCO is the Council of Heads of State (CHS). It meets once a year and makes decisions on all important issues.

The SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meets once a year to discuss the strategy of multilateral cooperation and priority areas of development, resolve fundamental and pressing issues of economic and other cooperation, and also approves the annual budget of the organization.

In addition to the meetings of the CHS and the CGP, there is a mechanism for meetings at the level of heads of parliaments, law enforcement agencies, supreme and arbitration courts, secretaries of security councils, prosecutors general, as well as ministers of foreign affairs, defense, emergency situations, economy, transport, culture, education and health.

The coordination mechanism within the SCO is the SCO Council of National Coordinators (SNC).

The organization has two permanent bodies - the Secretariat in Beijing (PRC) and the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure in Tashkent (Republic of Uzbekistan).

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, 2013, these posts have been occupied respectively by Dmitry Fedorovich Mezentsev (Russian Federation) and Zhang Xinfeng (Chinese People's Republic).

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

What is RATS SCO?

The Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) is a permanent body. The headquarters of the organization is located in the capital of the Republic of Uzbekistan - the city of Tashkent.

The SCO RATS Executive Committee in its activities is guided by the provisions of the SCO Charter, the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism, the Agreement between the SCO member states on the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure, as well as other documents and decisions adopted within the SCO.

What's happened Business advice SCO?

The Business Council of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO BC) was established on June 14, 2006 in Shanghai (China) and is non-governmental structure which brings together the most authoritative representatives of the business community of the SCO member states with the aim of expanding economic cooperation, establishing direct connections and dialogue between business and financial circles, and facilitating the practical promotion of multilateral projects. Among the priority areas of interstate cooperation, along with energy, transport, telecommunications, credit and banking, the council highlights the interaction of the SCO countries in the fields of education, science and innovative technologies, healthcare and agriculture.

The SCO DS is an independent structure capable of accepting advisory decisions and give expert assessments on promising areas of connecting representatives of the business community of the SCO member states to trade, economic and investment interaction within the organization.

The highest body of the SCO Business Council is the annual session, which determines priorities and develops the main directions of its activities, and resolves the most important issues of relations with business associations of other states.

The permanent Secretariat of the SCO DS is located in Moscow.

What's happened Interbank Association SCO?

The SCO Interbank Association (SCO IBA) was created by a decision of the Council of Heads of Government on October 26, 2005 with the aim of organizing a mechanism for financing and banking services for investment projects supported by the governments of the SCO member states. A meeting of the SCO IBO is held with the general consent of the parties as necessary, but at least once a year. The chairmanship of the council is carried out on the principle of rotation.

The members of the SCO IBO include: Development Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan, State Development Bank of the People's Republic of China, Settlement and Savings Company of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan OJSC RSK Bank, Vnesheconombank of the Russian Federation, State Savings Bank of the Republic of Tajikistan "Amonatbonk" and the National Bank for Foreign Economic Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan .

The priority areas of cooperation within the framework of the SCO IBO are: providing financing for the implementation of projects with an emphasis on infrastructure construction, basic sectors, industries high technology, export-oriented sectors of the economy, socially significant projects; provision and attraction of loans taking into account generally accepted international banking practices; organization of pre-export financing in order to stimulate trade and economic relations between the SCO member states and other areas of common interest.

Host photo agency

The host photo agency carries out official photography of all chairmanship events open to the media. Photo materials are posted online in a special section of the official website of the Russian Federation's presidency of the SCO and can be used by media representatives.

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

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 that sets out the goals and principles of the Organization, its structure and main areas of activity.

An important step in strengthening the legal framework of the association was the signing in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) in August 2007 of the Agreement on Long-Term Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation.

In 2006, the organization announced plans to combat the international drug mafia as the financial support of terrorism in the world, and in 2008 - active participation in normalizing the situation in Afghanistan.

In parallel, the activities of the SCO have also acquired a broad economic focus. In September 2003, the heads of government of the SCO member countries signed the Program of Multilateral Trade and Economic Cooperation, designed for 20 years. The long-term goal is 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.

The highest decision-making body in the SCO is the Council of Heads of Member States (CHS). 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 - the organizer of 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 issues, especially economic spheres 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) of the 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 problems. 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.

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

The most important economic structures are

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 fields of education, energy, transport, tourism, environmental protection 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, it was completed documenting organization: the Declaration of the Heads of SCO member states was signed, approving a set of documents regulating the operation of the SCO 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 pressing issues of 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 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 and a symbolic image in the center Eastern Hemisphere land with the outlines of the earth's landmass, which is occupied by the "six", above and below - the 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

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, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

In the summer of 2001, in June, all six heads of the above states signed the Declaration on the Establishment of the Organization, in which it was noted positive role 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 transport system, energy, telecommunications. 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. On this moment The Council of Heads of State consists of the presidents of: 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 has the functions of 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 main function which 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 that SCO members may be exposed to in Central Asia. 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, stating that the information disseminated harmful spiritual, moral and cultural spheres 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, counter-terrorism and intelligence sharing.

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. Signing by the SCO states translating economic cooperation on new level, happened 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, is 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 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. It views a dialogue partner as a state or international organization that 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 Western media as a criticism of Washington's actions.

Geopolitics of the SCO

IN Lately The geopolitical nature of the organization also becomes 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 our own international community, independent of the West.

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 the Military Field in the Joint Border Area.” 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 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.