SCO decoding which countries are included. Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)

Shanghai Organization cooperation or the SCO is a Eurasian political, economic and military organization, which was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. With the exception of Uzbekistan, the rest of the countries were members of the Shanghai Five, founded in 1996; after the inclusion of Uzbekistan in 2001, the member countries renamed the organization.

The Shanghai Five was originally established on April 26, 1996 with the signing of the Treaty on Deepening Military Confidence in the Border Areas in Shanghai by the heads of state of Kazakhstan, China People's Republic, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. On April 24, 1997, the same countries signed the Treaty on the Reduction of Armed Forces in the Border Area at a meeting in Moscow.

Subsequent annual summits of the group's Shanghai Five were held in Alma-Ata (Kazakhstan) in 1998, in Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) in 1999 and in Dushanbe (Tajikistan) in 2000.

In 2001, the annual summit returned to Shanghai, China. There, the member countries of the five accepted Uzbekistan into the Shanghai Five (thus turning it into the Shanghai Six). Then, on June 15, 2001, all six heads of state signed the Declaration on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, noting the positive role of the Shanghai Five and striving to move it to a higher level of cooperation. On July 16, 2001, Russia and China, the two leading countries of this organization, signed the Treaty of Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation.

In June 2002, the heads of the SCO member states met in St. Petersburg, Russia. There they signed the SCO Charter, which contained the goals of the organization, principles, structure and form of work, and officially approved it from the point of view of international law.

The six full members of the SCO account for 60% of the land mass of Eurasia, and its population is a quarter of the world's population. Taking into account the observer states, the population of the SCO countries makes up half of the world's population.

In July 2005, at the fifth summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, with representatives from India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan attending the SCO summit for the first time, President Nursultan Nazarbayev of the host country greeted the guests with words that had never before been used in any context: “Leaders of State sitting at this negotiating table are representatives of half of humanity.

By 2007, the SCO had initiated more than twenty large-scale projects related to transport, energy and telecommunications and held regular meetings on security, military affairs, defense, foreign affairs, economy, culture, banking issues and other issues that were raised officials member states.

The SCO has established relations with the United Nations, where it is an observer in General Assembly, in the European Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), in the Commonwealth Independent States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Structure of the SCO

The Council of Heads of State is supreme body decision makers within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. This council meets at the SCO summits, which are held every year in one of the capital cities of the member states. The current Council of Heads of State consists of the following members: Almazbek Atambaev (Kyrgyzstan), Xi Jinping (China), Islam Karimov (Uzbekistan), Nursultan Nazarbayev (Kazakhstan), Vladimir Putin (Russia), Emomali Rahmon (Tajikistan).

The Council of Heads of Government is the second most important body in the SCO. This council also holds annual summits where its members discuss issues of multilateral cooperation. The Council also approves the organization's budget. The Council of Foreign Ministers also hold regular meetings where they discuss the current international situation and the interaction of the SCO with others. international organizations.

The Council of National Coordinators, as its name implies, coordinates the multilateral cooperation of member states within the framework of the SCO charter.

The SCO Secretariat is the main executive body organizations. It serves to implement organizational decisions and decrees, prepare draft documents (for example, declarations and programs), is endowed with the functions of a documentary depository for the organization, organizes specific events within the SCO, and promotes and disseminates information about the SCO. It is located in Beijing. The current SCO Secretary-General is Muratbek Imanaliev of Kyrgyzstan, a former Kyrgyz foreign minister and professor at the American University of Central Asia.

The Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), headquartered in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, is a permanent body of the SCO that serves to promote cooperation among member states against the three evils of terrorism, separatism and extremism. The head of the RATS is elected for a term of three years. Each member state also sends a permanent representative of the RATS.

Cooperation of the SCO countries in the field of security

The activities of the Shanghai Security Cooperation Organization are primarily focused on the security problems of member countries in Central Asia, which is often described as the main threat. The SCO opposes such phenomena as terrorism, separatism and extremism. However, the activities of the organization in the field social development its member states is also growing rapidly.

On June 16-17, 2004, at the SCO summit, which took place in Tashkent, the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) was created in Uzbekistan. On April 21, 2006, the SCO announced plans to combat cross-border drug crime through counter-terrorism operations. In April 2006, he stated that the SCO had no plans to become a military bloc, however, he argued that the heightened threats of "terrorism, extremism and separatism" made it necessary to involve the armed forces in full.

In October 2007, the SCO signed an agreement with the Treaty Organization collective security(CSTO) in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, in order to expand cooperation on issues such as security, the fight against crime and drug trafficking. Joint action plans between the two organizations were approved in early 2008 in Beijing.

The organization also spoke out against cyber wars, stating that the dissemination of information harmful to the spiritual, moral and cultural spheres of other states should be considered a "security threat". According to the definition adopted in 2009, "information warfare", in particular, is regarded as an attempt by one state to undermine the political, economic and social system another state.

Military activities of the SCO

In the past few years, the activities of the organization have been aimed at close military cooperation, the exchange of intelligence information and the fight against terrorism.

The SCO countries held a number of joint military exercises. The first of them took place in 2003: the first phase took place in Kazakhstan, and the second - in China. Since then, China and Russia have joined forces to hold large-scale military exercises in 2005 (Peace Mission 2005), 2007 and 2009 under the auspices of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

More than 4,000 Chinese soldiers took part in a joint military exercise in 2007 (known as "Peace Mission 2007"), which was held in Chelyabinsk Russia near the Ural Mountains and was agreed upon in April 2006 at a meeting of SCO defense ministers. Air Force and precision weapons were also used. The then Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said the exercises were transparent and open to the media and the public. After the successful completion of the exercises, Russian officials invited India to also participate in similar exercises in the future under the auspices of the SCO. More than 5,000 military personnel from China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan took part in the exercise "Peace Mission 2010", held on September 9-25, 2010 in Kazakhstan at the Matybulak training ground. They conducted joint planning of military operations and operational maneuvers. The SCO acts as a platform for larger military statements by member states. For example, during a 2007 exercise in Russia, at a meeting with the leaders of the SCO member states, including with the participation of then Chinese President Hu Jintao, Russian President Vladimir Putin took the opportunity to announce the resumption of regular flights of Russian strategic bombers to patrol the territories first time since cold war. "Beginning with today, such flights will have to be carried out regularly and on a strategic scale,” Putin said. “Our pilots have been on the ground for too long. They are happy to start a new life.”

SCO economic cooperation

All members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, except China, are also members of the Eurasian Economic Community. Framework Agreement for Increasing economic cooperation was signed by the SCO member states on September 23, 2003. At the same meeting in China, Premier Wen Jiabao proposed the long-term goal of establishing a free trade area in the SCO, and taking other more urgent measures in order to improve the flow of goods in the region. In accordance with this, a plan consisting of 100 specific actions was signed a year later on September 23, 2004.

On October 26, 2005, during the Moscow Summit of the SCO, the Secretary General of the organization stated that the SCO will give priority to joint energy projects which will include the oil and gas sector, the development of new hydrocarbon reserves and the sharing water resources. The creation of the SCO Interbank Council was also agreed at this summit in order to finance future joint projects.

The first meeting of the SCO Interbank Association was held in Beijing on February 21-22, 2006. November 30, 2006, within the framework of the international SCO conference: results and prospects, held in Alma-Ata, a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Russian Federation said that Russia was developing plans for the SCO Energy Club. The need to create such a club was confirmed in Moscow at the SCO summit in November 2007. Other SCO members did not commit themselves to implement the idea. However, at the summit on August 28, 2008, it was stated that "against the backdrop of a slowdown in global economic growth, the conduct of a responsible monetary and financial policy, control over capital flows, ensuring food and energy security have become of particular importance."

On June 16, 2009, at the Yekaterinburg summit, China announced plans to provide a $10 billion loan to SCO member states to strengthen the economies of these states in the context of the global financial crisis. The summit was held in conjunction with the first BRIC summit and was marked by a joint Chinese-Russian statement that these countries want a larger quota in the International Monetary Fund.

At the 2007 SCO summit, Iran's Vice President Parviz Davoudi launched an initiative that generated a lot of interest. He then said: "The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is good place to design a new banking system that is independent of international banking systems".

Russian President Vladimir Putin then commented on the situation as follows: “We now clearly see the defectiveness of the monopoly in world finance and the policy of economic selfishness. To solve the current problem, Russia will take part in changing the global financial structure, so that it can guarantee stability and prosperity in the world and ensure progress ... The world is witnessing the emergence of a qualitatively different geopolitical situation, with the emergence of new centers of economic growth and political influence… We will witness and take part in the transformation of global and regional security systems and the development of an architecture adapted to the new realities of the 21st century, when stability and prosperity become inseparable concepts.”

Cultural cooperation of the SCO

Cultural cooperation also takes place within the framework of the SCO. The ministers of culture of the SCO countries met for the first time in Beijing on April 12, 2002 and signed a joint statement to continue cooperation. The third meeting of ministers of culture was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on 27-28 April 2006.

The art festival and exhibition under the auspices of the SCO took place for the first time during the 2005 Astana Summit. Kazakhstan also offered to hold a folk dance festival under the auspices of the SCO. Such a festival was held in 2008 in Astana.

Summits of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization

According to the SCO Charter, the summits of the Council of Heads of State are held annually in different places. The venue for these summits follows the alphabetical order of the name of the Member State in Russian. The charter also specifies that the summit of the Council of Heads of Government (i.e., Prime Ministers) meets annually at a place previously determined by decision of the members of the council. The Council of Foreign Ministers Summit is held one month before the annual Heads of State Summit. Extraordinary meetings of the Council of Foreign Ministers may be convened by any two Member States.

Future possible members of the SCO

In June 2010, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization approved the procedure for admitting new members, although no new members have yet been accepted. Several states, however, have attended SCO summits as observers, some of which have expressed interest in becoming full members of the organization in the future. The prospect of Iran joining the organization has attracted academic attention. In early September 2013, Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan stated during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart that Armenia would like to receive observer status in the SCO.

SCO observers

Afghanistan received observer status in 2012 at the SCO summit in Beijing, China on June 6, 2012. India currently also has observer status in the SCO. Russia has called on India to join this organization as a full member because it sees India as an important future strategic partner. China "welcomed" India's accession to the SCO.

Iran currently has observer status in the organization and was scheduled to become a full member of the SCO on March 24, 2008. However, due to sanctions imposed by the United Nations, the admission of Iran to the organization as a new member is temporarily blocked. The SCO stated that any country under UN sanctions cannot be admitted to the organization. Mongolia became the first country to receive observer status at the 2004 Tashkent Summit. Pakistan, India and Iran received observer status at the SCO summit in Astana, Kazakhstan on July 5, 2005.

Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf spoke in favor of his country joining the SCO as a full member during a joint summit in China in 2006. Russia publicly supported Pakistan's intention to gain full membership in the SCO, and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin made a corresponding statement at the SCO meeting in the Konstantinovsky Palace on November 6, 2011.

SCO Dialogue Partners

The position of dialogue partner was created in 2008 in accordance with Article 14 of the SCO Charter of June 7, 2002. This article concerns a dialogue partner as a state or organization that shares the goals and principles of the SCO and wishes to establish relations of equal and mutually beneficial partnership with the Organization.

Belarus received dialogue partner status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in 2009 at the group's summit in Yekaterinburg. Belarus applied for observer status in the organization and was promised the support of Kazakhstan in achieving this goal. However, the then Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov expressed doubts about the possible membership of Belarus, saying that Belarus is purely European country. Despite this, Belarus was accepted as a dialogue partner at the SCO summit in 2009.

Sri Lanka received dialogue partner status in the SCO in 2009 at the group's summit in Yekaterinburg. Turkey, a member of NATO, was granted dialogue partner status in the SCO in 2012 at the group's summit in Beijing. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he even jokingly discussed the possibility of Turkey refusing to join the European Union in exchange for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Relations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization with the West

Western media observers believe that one of the first goals of the SCO should be to create a counterweight to NATO and the US, in particular to avoid conflicts that would allow the US to interfere in the internal affairs of countries bordering Russia and China. Although Iran is not a member, ex-president country, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad used the SCO platform to launch a verbal attack on the United States. The United States submitted an application for observer status with the SCO, but it was rejected in 2006.

At the Astana summit in July 2005, due to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and uncertainty about the presence of US troops in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, the SCO called on the US to set a timetable for the withdrawal of its troops from SCO member states. Shortly thereafter, Uzbekistan asked the US to close the K-2 air base.

The SCO has not yet made any direct statements against the US or its military presence in the region. However, some indirect statements at recent summits were presented in Western media as a veiled criticism of Washington.

Geopolitical aspects of the SCO

Per last years there were many discussions and comments about the geopolitical nature of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Matthew Brummer in the Journal of International Affairs, tracks the effects of the expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the Persian Gulf.

Iranian writer Hamid Golpira said the following: “According to the theory of Zbigniew Brzezinski, the control of the Eurasian continent is the key to world domination, and the control of Central Asia is the key to control of the Eurasian continent. Russia and China have been paying attention to Brzezinski's theories since they formed the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in 2001, ostensibly to curb extremism in the region and improve border security, but more likely the real goal was to balance US and NATO activities in Central Asia.

At the 2005 SCO summit in Kazakhstan, the Declaration of the Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was adopted, which expressed their "concern" about the existing world order and contained the principles of the organization's work. It included the following words: “The Heads of Member States note that, against the backdrop of the contradictory process of globalization, multilateral cooperation based on the principles of equal rights and mutual respect, non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states, a non-confrontational way of thinking and a consistent movement towards democratization international relations, promotes common peace and security, and call on the international community, regardless of their differences in ideology and social structure, form new concept security based on mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and interaction”.

In November 2005, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed that the SCO is working to create a rational and just world order and that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization provides us with a unique opportunity to take part in the process of forming a fundamentally new model of geopolitical integration.

The Chinese Daily expressed this issue in the following terms: “The declaration indicates that the SCO member countries have the ability and duty to ensure security in the Central Western countries leave Central Asia. This is the most visible signal that the summit sent to the world.”

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao concluded that the US was maneuvering to maintain its status as the world's sole superpower and not give any other country a chance to create a problem for them.

An article in The Washington Post in early 2008 reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin allegedly stated that Russia could send nuclear missiles to Ukraine if Russia's neighbor and former sister republic in the Soviet Union joins the NATO alliance and installs elements of a US missile defense system. “It is terrible to say and even scary to think that, in response to the deployment of such facilities on the territory of Ukraine, which theoretically cannot be ruled out, Russia will aim its missiles at Ukraine,” Putin said at a joint press conference with then Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko. who was visiting the Kremlin. "Imagine, it's just for a second."

The International Federation for Human Rights recognized the SCO " vehicle» for human rights violations.

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

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

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

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

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

The highest decision-making body in the SCO is the Council of Heads of Member States (CHS). It determines the priorities and develops the main directions of the Organization's activities, resolves the fundamental issues of its internal structure and functioning, interaction with other states and international organizations, and also considers the most pressing international problems.

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

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

The Council meets for regular meetings once a year. The meeting of the Council is chaired by the head of government (Prime Minister) of the state in whose territory the meeting is held. The venue of the next meeting of the Council is determined by prior agreement of the heads of government (prime ministers) of the Member States.

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

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

The most important economic structures —

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

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

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

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

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

The highest decision-making body in the SCO is the Council of Heads of Member States (CHS). It determines the priorities and develops the main directions of the Organization's activities, resolves the fundamental issues of its internal structure and functioning, interaction with other states and international organizations, and also considers the most pressing international problems.

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

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

The Council meets for regular meetings once a year. The meeting of the Council is chaired by the head of government (Prime Minister) of the state in whose territory the meeting is held. The venue of the next meeting of the Council is determined by prior agreement of the heads of government (prime ministers) of the Member States.

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

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

The most important economic structures -

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

How was the SCO established?

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

How did the SCO develop in the future?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TASS-DOSIER. On June 9-10, 2018, the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will be held in Qingdao (China's Shandong province). For the first time, two new SCO member states, India and Pakistan, will participate in the meeting of the organization's leaders.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a regional international association that includes eight countries: Russia, India, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Since 2004, the SCO has been an observer at the UN General Assembly.

History of education

On April 26, 1996, in Shanghai (PRC), the heads of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan signed an agreement on building confidence in the military field in the border area. On its basis, a political association was formed, called the "Shanghai Five", whose main goal was to ensure stability along the borders of the former Soviet republics and China. On July 5, 2000, the organization was transformed into the "Shanghai Forum". On June 14, 2001, at the summit in Shanghai, Uzbekistan joined the association of five countries.

On June 15, 2001, the heads of six states signed the Declaration on the Establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. On June 7, 2002, the charter document of the organization, the SCO Charter, was signed (entered into force on September 19, 2003).

On June 9, 2017, at the summit in Astana, the membership of India and Pakistan in the organization was officially approved.

Observers and Dialogue Partners

Observers in the organization are Mongolia, Iran, Afghanistan, Belarus. Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Syria and Sri Lanka also applied for observer status.

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey and Sri Lanka have the status of SCO dialogue partners.

Observer countries may, with the consent of the SCO members, attend meetings of the alliance's bodies and participate in the discussion of agenda items without the right to make decisions. The status of a dialogue partner is granted to a state (or organization) interacting with the SCO in certain areas of cooperation provided for by the SCO Charter.

According to the Regulations on the Procedure for Admission of New Members, a country applying for membership in the SCO cannot be under the sanctions of the UN Security Council.

Goals, objectives, areas of cooperation

According to the SCO Charter, the goals of the alliance are to ensure stability and security in the region, fight against terrorism and extremism, develop economic cooperation, energy partnership, scientific and cultural interaction. Priority areas are the development of transport infrastructure, energy, telecommunications, the oil and gas sector, agriculture, the use of water resources, etc.

In relations within the organization, member states adhere to the principles of consensus, mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, respect for the diversity of cultures, striving for joint development. In external relations, the SCO proceeds from the principles of openness, non-affiliation with blocs and non-direction against third countries.

On September 23, 2003 in Beijing, following the meeting of the heads of government of the SCO countries, a long-term program of multilateral economic cooperation until 2020 was adopted, which provides for the creation of a common economic space within the organization. In the short term, it is planned to increase the volume of trade, and in the long term - the creation of a free trade zone. The action plan for the implementation of the program was signed in September 2004.

Structure

Countries chair the SCO in turn, for a year, ending their powers with a summit. Since June 2017, China has been chairing the SCO.

The supreme body of the SCO is the Council of Heads of State, which determines the priorities and main directions of the organization's activities, resolves issues of its internal structure, interaction with other countries and international organizations, and considers topical international problems. The Council meets for regular meetings once a year; The chairmanship is carried out by the head of state - the organizer of the summit.

The Council of Heads of Government of the SCO considers issues relating to specific, especially economic, areas of cooperation. Regular meetings are held once a year. Also, within the framework of the organization, the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, the Meeting of Heads of Ministries and Departments, the Council of National Coordinators have been established. The permanent working body is the secretariat headquartered in Beijing.

Since January 1, 2016, the post of SCO Secretary General has been occupied by Rashid Alimov (elected on July 10, 2015 for a two-year term), former head Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan and permanent representative of the republic to the UN, ex-ambassador of Tajikistan to China.

Decisions in the SCO bodies are made by consensus, this principle is enshrined in the Organization's Charter.

Security questions

When the organization was created, its main task was proclaimed the fight against terrorism in Central Asia. One of the organization's first documents - the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism (2001) - at the international level fixed the definition of separatism and extremism as violent, criminally prosecuted acts.

On June 7, 2002, at the SCO summit in St. Petersburg, an agreement was signed on the creation of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS; the headquarters of the executive committee is in Tashkent). It coordinates the fight against terrorism, extremism and separatism, in particular, forms a single data bank on international terrorist and other organizations and individuals, as well as a single search register, assists in the training of specialists and instructors for anti-terrorist units, organizes activities to combat drug trafficking and etc.

As part of security cooperation, the SCO member countries regularly conduct joint anti-terrorist exercises, the largest of which is the "Peace Mission" (held since 2003).

According to the SCO secretariat, in 2013-2017, over 600 terrorist crimes were prevented within the organization, more than 500 terrorist training bases were liquidated, the activities of more than 2,000 members of international terrorist organizations were suppressed, more than 1,000 improvised explosive devices, 50 tons of explosives, 10 thousand units firearms and over 1 million ammunition.

Cooperation in the economy and financial sphere

Economic interaction is coordinated by the Business Council (established in 2006; unites representatives of the business community) and the SCO Interbank Association (2005; organizes financing and banking services for investment projects). As of the end of 2017, the Interbank Association provided $97.8 billion for the development of projects in the SCO countries.

To finance interstate infrastructure projects and foreign trade operations within the framework of the SCO, it was decided to create a Development Bank and a Development Fund (Special Account) of the organization. In 2015, at the summit in Ufa, it was also announced the intention to establish an International Center for Project Finance on the basis of the existing Interbank Association. Currently, work on the creation of financial instruments in the SCO continues.

Since 2014, the Energy Club has been operating within the framework of the SCO, created on the initiative of Russia. This is a discussion platform for discussing the energy strategies of the SCO states from the standpoint of their harmonization and development of proposals for improving energy security. The club brings together representatives of government agencies, big business and information and analytical centers working in the energy sector.

September 16, 2015 in Xi'an (China) at the SCO Ministerial Meeting on Economics and Trade, it was decided to start developing a program of regional economic cooperation for the next five years. Cooperation will be developed in ten areas, including about a hundred projects totaling $100 billion. The main area of ​​cooperation is the development of transport infrastructure.

Cooperation in the humanitarian sphere

On August 16, 2007, at a meeting of heads of government in Bishkek, Russia proposed to establish a university based on the network principle. The decision to establish the SCO University was made in 2008 at a meeting of the organization's ministers of education. The university began its work in 2010 as a network of already existing universities in the SCO member states and observer countries. Personnel training is carried out in priority areas of cultural, scientific, educational and economic cooperation: regional studies, ecology, energy, IT-technologies, nanotechnologies.

In 2015, the International Young Person Card (SCO Youth Card; SCO Youth Card) was developed, which is both a means of payment and an identity card. In particular, it allows students of universities belonging to the SCO University to enjoy discounts in the countries of the organization. The project was launched in May 2017 in Belgorod as part of the II Youth Forum of SCO Universities.

The youth movements of the countries of the organization cooperate within the framework of the SCO Youth Council (since 2009). In May 2018, the organization's first Women's Forum was held in Beijing, the purpose of which was proclaimed to be "development of exchanges and cooperation of women within the framework of the SCO."

The organization also operates the SCO Forum (2006) - a public advisory and expert body created to promote and scientifically support the activities of the organization, conduct joint research on topical issues, clarify the tasks and principles of the SCO, etc.

Statistics

The territory of the SCO (including observer countries) - 37.53 million square meters. km, or 61% of the Eurasian continent. The population, according to the World Bank for 2016, is 3.1 billion people (including India and Pakistan), including observer countries - 3.2 billion (data for 2017 not published).

The total gross domestic product (in current prices) of the SCO member states reached $15.24 trillion in 2016 (including India and Pakistan), or 20.09% of the global indicator (for comparison: in the USA - $18.62 trillion, in EU - $16.49 trillion).

In an interview with the Chinese Media Corporation on May 31, 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that the SCO countries account for a quarter of the world's GDP, 43% of the population and 23% of the planet's territory.

SCO budget

The organization's budget is formed for a period of one calendar year in US dollars. It consists of the annual share contributions of the SCO member states. According to the Agreement on the procedure for the formation and execution of the budget of December 1, 2017, the contribution of India is 5.9%, Kazakhstan - 17.6%, China - 20.6%, Kyrgyzstan - 8.8%, Pakistan - 5.9%, Russia - 20.6%, Tajikistan - 6%, Uzbekistan - 14.6%. Share contributions may be changed at the suggestion of one or more states with the consent of other SCO members.

Official languages ​​and website

The official working languages ​​are Russian and Chinese. Official site -