Today, our planet has more than 250 states in the territory of which there are more than 7 billion people.To successfully do business in all areas of society are established by various organizations, membership of which gives member countries the benefits and support from other countries.
One of them - the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).This Eurasian political, economic and military force, which was established in 2001 by the leaders of states founded in 1996, the Shanghai Five, which at that time consisted of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan.After the entry of Uzbekistan organization was renamed.
From Shanghai Five to the SCO - as it was?
As mentioned above, the SCO - a community of States as a basis for the creation of which was the signing in Shanghai in April 1996, of the Treaty, formally establishing the deepening military trust at the State borders between Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, as well asFinally, between the same countries after a year of the Treaty, which reduces the number of armed forces in the border areas.
Thereafter Summits organizations have been held every year.Venue for meetings of the participating countries became in 1998 the capital of Kazakhstan, Alma-Ata, in 1999 - the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek.In 2000, leaders of the five countries met in the Tajik capital Dushanbe.
The following year, became an annual summit met again in Shanghai, where five of the six evolved due to accede to it in Uzbekistan.So if you want to know exactly which countries are included in the SCO, summarize: now for the right to full-fledged members consists of six countries: it is Kazakhstan, the People's Republic of China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
the summer of 2001, in June, all six heads of the above-mentioned countries signed the Declaration on the establishment of the organization, which was marked by the positive role of the Shanghai Five, as well as expressing the desire of the leaders of the countries to translate cooperation within its framework to a higher level.In 2001, July 16, the two leading countries of the SCO - Russia and China - signed the Treaty of Good-neighborliness, friendship and cooperation.
Almost a year later, a meeting of heads of the member states was held in St. Petersburg.At the time it was signed by the SCO Charter, comprising objectives and principles, which still adheres to and organization.It also spelled out the structure and form of work, and the document has been approved in accordance with international law.
Today, the SCO member states occupy more than half of the Eurasian land.And the population of these countries is one-quarter of the world's population.If we take into account the observer states, the residents of the SCO countries - half the world's population, it was noted at the July 2005 summit, held in Astana.It was first visited by representatives of India, Mongolia, Pakistan and Iran.He noted this fact in his opening speech, Nursultan Nazarbayev, president of Kazakhstan - the host at the summit of the year.If you want to have an accurate idea of how geographically SCO countries, the map clearly shows this is presented below.
SCO initiatives and collaboration with other organizations
In 2007 it was initiated over twenty large-scale projects related to the transport system, energy, telecommunications.Meets regularly to discuss issues related to security, military affairs, defense, foreign policy, economy, culture, banking and all the others who have raised during the discussion of officials from the SCO countries.The list was not limited by anything: become a subject of discussion of any topics, which, according to participants of the meeting demanded the attention of the public.
addition, established relations with other international communities.It is the United Nations (UN), where the SCO - observer of the General Assembly, the European Union (EU), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN from Eng. Association of South-East Asian Nations), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Organization of the IslamicCooperation (OIC).In 2015 in the capital of the Russian republic of Bashkortostan Ufa planned summit of the SCO and BRICS, one of the goals that put the establishment of business and partnership between the two organizations.
structure
supreme body of the organization - it is the Council of Heads of State.They are decisions within the framework of the community.Meetings take place at the summits, held annually in one of the capitals of the member countries.At the moment, the Council of Heads of State consist president: Kyrgyzstan - Atambayev, China - Xi Jinping, Uzbekistan - Islam Karimov, Kazakhstan - Nursultan Nazarbayev, Russia - Vladimir Putin and Tajikistan - Emomali Rahmon.
Council of Heads of Government - the second most important body in the SCO conducting summits annually to discuss issues related to multilateral cooperation, and establishing the budget of the organization.
the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs also held meetings on a regular basis, where they speak about the current international situation.In addition, the topic of conversation becomes interaction with other organizations.Of particular interest in the run-up to the summit of Ufa represent the relationship between the SCO and BRICS.
Council of National Coordinators, as you can tell from its name, is coordinated multilateral cooperation of the states, controlled by the SCO Charter.
At the secretariat functions of the main executive body of the Community.They are implemented organizational decisions and orders, preparing draft documents (declarations, programs).He also acts as a documentary depository organizes specific activities, which employ the participating countries of the SCO, and contributes to the spread of information about the organization and its activities.The secretariat is located in the Chinese capital Beijing.Its current General Manager - Dmitry Mezentsev, the former governor of the Irkutsk region, a member of the Federation Council.
headquarters of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) is located in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent.It is a permanent body, the main function of which is to develop cooperation on terrorism, separatism and extremism, which is actively engaged in the organization of the SCO.The head of this structure are elected for a three year period, each Member State has the right to send the community of his country's permanent representative to the anti-terrorist structure.
Security cooperation
SCO countries actively operate in the field of security, focusing primarily on the problems of ensuring its States Parties.Especially relevant today is against the dangers which may be exposed to members of the SCO in Central Asia.As mentioned earlier, the tasks of the organization include countering terrorism, separatism and extremism.
At the June SCO Summit 2004, held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, was established and subsequently created the Regional Antiterrorist Structure (RATS).In April 2006, the organization made a statement, which reports on a scheduled fight to cross-border drug crime by carrying out counter-terrorist operations.At the same time it was announced that the SCO - this is not a military bloc, and the organization is not going to be him, but the increased threat of such phenomena as terrorism, extremism and separatism, makes it impossible to work on safety without the full involvement of the armed forces.
the autumn of 2007, in October in Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, signed an agreement with the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization).The purpose of this was to increase co-operation on security, the fight against crime and drug trafficking.The joint action plan between the organizations has been approved in Beijing in early 2008.
addition, SCO actively opposes cyber warfare, stating that the information disseminated, the carrier harm the spiritual, moral and cultural spheres of other countries should also be seen as a security threat.In accordance with the decision taken in 2009, the definition of "information warfare" such actions are interpreted as an act of undermining a state's political, economic and social system of another country.
Partnership members in the military sphere
In recent years, the organization has been active, whose objectives are close military cooperation, counter-terrorism and intelligence sharing.
During this time, members of the SCO held a series of joint military exercises: the first was conducted in 2003 in two stages, first in Kazakhstan, and later in China.Since then, Russia and China under the auspices of the SCO were conducted large-scale military exercises in 2005, 2007 ("Peace Mission 2007") and 2009.
More than 4,000 Chinese soldiers have become parties to the joint military exercises in 2007 in the Chelyabinsk region, agreed a year earlier at a meeting of defense ministers of the SCO.While they were widely used as the air force and precision-guided weapons.Then-Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov announced that the exercises are transparent and open to the public and the media.Successful completion of prompting the Russian government to expand co-operation, so in the future, become a member of such exercises under the auspices of the SCO has invited Russia and India.
military exercise "Peace Mission 2010", held in the Kazakh Matybulak landfill in September 2010, brought together more than 5000 Chinese, Russian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Tajik soldiers who were together the teachings concerning the operational maneuvers and planning military operations.
SCO is a platform for important military applications that make the participating countries.Thus, during the Russian exercises in 2007, during a meeting of leaders of the countries, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russian strategic bombers resumed their flights to patrol the area for the first time since the "cold war."
SCO activities in the economy
addition to membership in the SCO, the composition of the organization, with the exception of China, is part of the Eurasian Economic Community.The signing of the framework agreement states of the SCO, the transferor and economic cooperation to a new level, occurred in September 2003.There's also the Prime Minister of China Wen Jiabao proposed in the long term work on creating a free trade zone on the territory of SCO member states, as well as other measures to help improve the flow of goods within it.The result of this proposal was the signing in 2004 of the 100 plan of concrete actions.
In October 2005, the Moscow summit was marked by a statement of the Secretary-General that the Organization SCO will pay utmost attention to the joint energy projects, including both oil and gas sector, as well as the sharing of water resources and the development of new hydrocarbon reserves.Also at the Summit approved the establishment of the SCO Interbank Council, whose task was to include the financing of future 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 of Russian plans for a so-called "SCO Energy Club."The need to create it confirmed at the summit in November 2007, but, with the exception of Russia, no one has the obligation to implement this idea, but the August 2008 summit, it was approved.
Summit 2007 went down in history thanks to the initiative of Vice President of Iran Parviz Davoodi, who said that the SCO - a great place to design a new banking system that does not depend on the international.
At the June 2009 summit in Yekaterinburg, which is the country of the SCO and BRICS (while still BRIC) held at the same time, the Chinese government announced the allocation of members of the organization of credit of 10 billion dollars in order to strengthen their economies into the globalfinancial crisis.
activities of the SCO in the field of culture
Shanghai Cooperation Organization, in addition to the political, military and economic, is actively and cultural activities.The first meeting of the Culture Ministers of the SCO took place in the Chinese capital Beijing in April 2002.During her signing of the joint statement, confirming the continuation of the cooperation in this field.
Under the auspices of the SCO in Kazakhstan's Astana in 2005, along with the next summit, first held Arts Festival and Exhibition.Kazakhstan has also made a proposal to hold under the auspices of the festival of folk dance.The proposal was accepted, and the festival held in Astana in 2008.
to hold a summit
In accordance with the signed Charter, at a meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State is held every year in different cities of the participating countries.Also, the document suggests that the Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) holds a summit every year on the territory of member states at the place determined in advance by its members.The Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs is going to one month before the annual summit held by the heads of state.In the case of the need to convene an extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, it may be organized at the initiative of any two participating States.
Who can join the SCO in the future?
summer of 2010, approved the procedure for the admission of new members, but so far none of those wishing to join the organization full member countries did not.However, some of these countries have been members of the SCO summit as observers.And expressed its interest to enter into the main part.Thus, in the future may become a member of the SCO, Iran and Armenia.The latter, represented by Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan during a meeting with a colleague from China has expressed interest in obtaining observer status in the Shanghai International Organizations.
SCO observer
Today this status in the organization are the potential of the SCO and BRICS countries.Afghanistan, for example, got him on the Beijing Summit in 2012.India also acts as an observer and Russia, seeing it as one of the most important future strategic partners, encouraged her to become a full member of the SCO.This initiative was supported by Russia and China.
Acts as an observer and Iran, which was to become a full member in March 2008.However, the UN sanctions have caused a temporary blockage of the procedure adopted by countries in the SCO.The composition of the observer countries includes Mongolia and Pakistan.The latter also seeks to join the organization.This commitment has openly supported the Russian side.
Partnership Dialogue
Regulation on dialogue partner appeared in 2008.It is set out in Article 14 of the Charter.In her dialogue partner is considered as a state or an international organization shares the principles and objectives pursued by the SCO, and is also interested in establishing a relationship of mutually beneficial and equal partnership.
These countries are Belarus and Sri Lanka have received this status in 2009, during the summit in Yekaterinburg.In 2012, during the Beijing Summit, a number of dialogue partners is now Turkey.
cooperation with the West
Most Western observers are of the opinion that the SCO is to create a counterweight to the US and NATO to prevent potential conflicts, allowing the United States to interfere in the internal affairs of 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 the military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the uncertain situation regarding the presence of US military forces in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, the organization was demanded by the US authorities on the timing of withdrawal from the member states ofSCO.
