SCO - what is it? Decoding, definition, translation

Abbreviation SCO stands for Sh Anhai ABOUT organization WITH cooperation.

This shaky structure, based in 2001 year in Shanghai, is a political-economic bloc, which, in addition to China and Russia, includes several republics former USSR, and even those not fully and without much desire. The essence of the SCO is the concept of “Guys, let’s live together”, not to cause incidents on the borders, to reduce border weapons and, in general, to trade, cooperate in every possible way and at the same time look askance at NATO. In 2015, India and Pakistan joined the SCO, having still not resolved the territorial dispute over Kashmir.

List of countries that are members of the SCO for 2015: Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, India, Pakistan.

Mongolia, Belarus, Iran and Afghanistan are observers.

SCO is in the list:

Did you find out where the word came from? SCO, his explanation in simple words, translation, origin and meaning.

The functions and operating procedures of the SCO bodies, with the exception of the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure, are determined by the relevant provisions, which are approved by the Council of Heads of State.

The Council of Heads of State may decide to create other SCO bodies. The creation of new bodies is formalized in the form of additional protocols to the Charter of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which come into force in the manner established by Article 21 of the SCO Charter.

Decision making procedure

Decisions in the SCO bodies are made by agreement without voting and are considered adopted if none of the member states objected to them during the approval process (consensus), with the exception of decisions on suspension of membership or expulsion from the Organization, which are made according to the “consensus” principle minus one vote of the Member State concerned.”

Any member state can express its point of view on certain aspects and/or specific issues of decisions taken, which is not an obstacle to making a decision as a whole. This point of view is recorded in the minutes of the meeting.

In cases of disinterest of one or more Member States in the implementation of certain cooperation projects of interest to other Member States, the non-participation in them of these Member States does not prevent the implementation of such cooperation projects by interested Member States and, at the same time, does not prevent the said States -members to join in the implementation of such projects in the future.

Execution of decisions

Decisions of SCO bodies are executed by member states in accordance with procedures determined by their national legislation.

Monitoring the fulfillment of the obligations of the member states to implement this Charter, other treaties in force within the SCO and decisions of its bodies is carried out by the SCO bodies within their competence.

Non-governmental structures of the SCO

Two non-governmental structures also operate within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization: the SCO Business Council and the SCO Interbank Association.

SCO Business Council

The Business Council of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO BC) was established on June 14, 2006 in the city of Shanghai (China) by the national parts of the council from the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Chinese People's Republic, Kyrgyz Republic, Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan. Documents were also approved regulating the activities of the SCO BC and its permanent secretariat, which is located in Moscow.

The SCO BC was created in accordance with the decision of the SCO Council of Heads of State. It is a non-governmental structure that brings together the most authoritative representatives of the business community of the SCO member states with the aim of expanding economic cooperation within the framework of organizing, establishing direct connections and dialogue between the business and financial circles of the SCO countries, promoting the practical promotion of multilateral projects identified by the heads of government in the “Program of Trade and Economic Cooperation”.

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 SCO BC is an independent structure capable of making recommendatory decisions and giving expert assessments on promising areas for connecting representatives of the business community of the SCO member states to trade, economic and investment interaction within the organization.

A special feature of the SCO DS is that 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.

Based on the dynamism and interest of the business community, the SCO BC works closely with ministries and departments of the economic bloc of governments, without in any way replacing their work.

During the Shanghai Summit in June 2006, the heads of state emphasized the importance of the creation of the SCO Business Council for the further development of the organization and expressed confidence that it would become an effective mechanism for promoting business partnerships throughout the SCO.

In 2006, special working groups were formed responsible for developing cooperation in the fields of healthcare and education, as well as interaction within the framework of the creation of the SCO Energy Club.

Currently, a special working group on healthcare is selecting projects to create a structure within the SCO similar to World Organization health care (working name - WHO SCO), which would work to improve medical care in the organization's member states, develop preventive healthcare, and meet the population's needs for high-tech types of medical care.

The main projects considered are to provide assistance to the population through:

— compulsory and voluntary medical insurance;

— elimination and overcoming the consequences emergency situations(through the creation of a joint Center for Disaster Medicine);

— prevention of spread infectious diseases(bird flu, SARS) and tuberculosis;

— implementation of a special high-tech program “Telemedicine” for the population of hard-to-reach and remote areas;

— creation of a system of paramedic and obstetric stations (FAP);

— creation of recreational areas and balneological resorts on the territory of the SCO member states, primarily in Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Kyrgyzstan.

In the field of education, relevant working group A program is being considered to form a kind of control platform within existing national universities to coordinate the efforts of groups of universities in each of the SCO countries to train students and retrain specialists for various sectors of the economy. The development of cooperation in this area will contribute to mutual understanding and cultural and humanitarian interaction, further modernization of the branches of science and education of the member states.

In order to stimulate effective business ties within the SCO and contribute to achieving economic tasks On August 16, 2007, the SCO Business Council and the SCO Interbank Association signed a cooperation agreement.

The activities of the SCO BC are one of the components of the work of government structures of the organization’s countries in the implementation of the List of measures for further development project activities within the framework of the SCO for the period 2012-2016, defining priority areas of economic cooperation for the coming decade.

Shanghai organization cooperation or 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 remaining countries were members of the Shanghai Five, founded in 1996; After the inclusion of Uzbekistan in 2001, member countries renamed the organization.

The Shanghai Five was originally created on April 26, 1996 with the signing of the Treaty on Deepening Military Confidence in Border Areas in Shanghai by the heads of state of Kazakhstan, the People's Republic of China, 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 Shanghai Five group were held in Almaty (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 five member countries accepted Uzbekistan into the Shanghai Five (thus turning it into the Shanghai Six). Then all six heads of state signed the Declaration on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on June 15, 2001, noting the positive role of the Shanghai Five and seeking 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 Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation.

In June 2002, the heads of SCO member states met in St. Petersburg, Russia. There they signed the SCO Charter, which contained the organization's goals, 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 Eurasia's landmass, and its population accounts for a quarter of the world's population. Taking into account observer states, the population of the SCO countries is half 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, host country President Nursultan Nazarbayev greeted guests with words that had never before been used in any context: "Leaders of States ", 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, economics, 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 the General Assembly, the European Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

SCO structure

The Council of Heads of State is supreme body decision-makers within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. This council meets at 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 Atambayev (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 at which they discuss the current international situation and the interaction of the SCO with other international organizations.

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

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

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

Cooperation between SCO countries in the field of security

The activities of the Shanghai Security Cooperation Organization are primarily focused on the security concerns 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 organization’s activities in the field social development its member states are also growing rapidly.

On June 16-17, 2004, at the SCO summit, which took place in Tashkent, a Regional Anti-Terrorism 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, it was stated that the SCO had no plans to become a military bloc, however, it argued that the increased threats of “terrorism, extremism and separatism” made full-scale involvement of the armed forces necessary.

In October 2007, the SCO signed an agreement with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), in the Tajik capital Dushanbe, 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 opposed cyber warfare, saying 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 war” is, in particular, 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 organization's activities have been aimed at close military cooperation, intelligence sharing and the fight against terrorism.

The SCO countries conducted 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 conduct 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 joint military exercises in 2007 (known as Peace Mission 2007), which were held in Chelyabinsk Russia around Ural mountains and were agreed upon in April 2006 at a meeting of SCO defense ministers. Air Force And precision weapons were also used. Then-Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said the exercises were transparent and open to the media and public. Following the successful completion of the exercise, 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 Peace Mission 2010 exercise, held 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 countries. For example, during the 2007 exercises 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 for the 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. A framework agreement to enhance 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 creating a free trade zone within the SCO, and taking other more immediate measures to improve the flow of goods in the region. Accordingly, a plan consisting of 100 specific actions was signed a year later on September 23, 2004.

On October 26, 2005, during the Moscow meeting at top level SCO, the organization's Secretary General 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 took place in Beijing on February 21-22, 2006. On November 30, 2006, within the framework of the SCO international conference: results and prospects, held in Almaty, a representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry stated 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 have not committed to implementing the idea. However, at the summit on August 28, 2008, it was stated that “against the backdrop of a slowdown in global economic growth, pursuing responsible monetary and financial policies, controlling capital flows, and ensuring food and energy security have acquired particular importance.”

On June 16, 2009, at the Yekaterinburg summit, China announced plans to provide a loan of 10 billion US dollars to the SCO member states in order to strengthen the economies of these states in the context of the global financial crisis. The summit was held together 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, Iranian Vice President Parviz Davoudi proposed an initiative that aroused great 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 global 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 accept participation in the transformation of global and regional systems security and development of architecture adapted to the new realities of the 21st century, when stability and prosperity become inseparable concepts.”

SCO cultural cooperation

Cultural cooperation also takes place within 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 took place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on April 27-28, 2006.

The arts festival and exhibition under the auspices of the SCO took place for the first time during the summit in Astana in 2005. Kazakhstan also proposed holding the festival folk dance under the auspices of the SCO. Such a festival took place in 2008 in Astana.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization summits

According to the SCO Charter, summits of the Council of Heads of State are held annually in different places. The location of these summit meetings should be in alphabetical order names of the member state in Russian. The Charter also stipulates 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 council members. The Council of Foreign Ministers summit is held one month before the annual summit of heads of state. 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 admitted. Several states, however, have participated in SCO summits as observers, some of which have expressed interest in joining the organization as full members in the future. The prospect of Iran joining the organization has attracted academic attention. In early September 2013, Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan said 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 a critical future strategic partner. China “welcomed” India’s accession to the SCO.

Iran currently has observer status in the organization, and the country was scheduled to become a full member of the SCO on March 24, 2008. However, due to sanctions imposed by the United Nations, Iran's admission to the organization as a new member is temporarily blocked. The SCO has 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, 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 Kazakhstan's support in achieving this goal. However, then-Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov expressed doubts about Belarus's possible membership, saying that Belarus was a purely European country. Despite this, Belarus was accepted as a dialogue partner at the SCO summit in 2009.

Sri Lanka received the status of dialogue partner in the SCO in 2009 at the group’s summit in Yekaterinburg. Turkey, a NATO member, was granted dialogue partner status in the SCO in 2012 at the group's summit in Beijing. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he had even jokingly discussed the possibility of Turkey refusing to join 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 counterbalance to NATO and the United States, in particular in order to avoid conflicts that would allow the United States to interfere in the internal affairs of countries bordering Russia and China. And 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 to 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 regarding the presence of American troops in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, the SCO called on the United States to set a time frame for the withdrawal of its troops from SCO member states. Shortly thereafter, Uzbekistan asked the United States to close the K-2 airbase.

The SCO has not yet made any direct statements against the United States 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

Behind last years There has been much discussion and commentary about the geopolitical nature of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Matthew Brummer, in the Journal of International Affairs, tracks the effects of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's expansion in the Persian Gulf.

Iranian writer Hamid Golpira said the following: “According to Zbigniew Brzezinski's theory, control of the Eurasian continent is the key to world domination, and control of Central Asia is the key to control of the Eurasian continent. Russia and China have paid 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 most likely the real goal was to balance US and NATO activities in Central Asia."

At the 2005 SCO summit in Kazakhstan, a Declaration of the heads of member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was adopted, which expressed their “concerns” regarding 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 background of the contradictory process of globalization, multilateral cooperation based on the principles 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 of international relations, contributes to general peace and security, and calls for international community, regardless of his 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 fair 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.

A Chinese daily newspaper expressed this issue in following expressions: “The Declaration indicates that the SCO member countries have the opportunity and responsibility to ensure security in the Central Asian region, and calls for Western countries leave Central Asia. This is the most visible signal that the summit gave to the world."

Chinese Prime Minister 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 said 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 the system missile defense USA. “It is terrible to say and even terrible to think that, in response to the deployment of such objects 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 on a visit to the Kremlin. “Imagine this, just for a second.”

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

Federal State Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education "KALINGRAD STATE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY"

Department of Economic Theory

Report on the topic:

SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION

Prepared by: st.gr. 08-RN

Chilikina M.V.

Checked by: Senchukova L.O.

Kaliningrad 2011-

1. History of creation………………………………………………………………………………3

2. Management structure………………………………………………………………………………6

3.1 Security area………………………………………………………...9

3.2 Economic activity……………………………………………..10

3.3 Cultural and humanitarian activities………………………………….11

4. Participation of the Russian Federation in the SCO…………………………………………13

References……………………………………………………………...14

History of creation

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)- a regional international organization founded in 2001 by the leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. With the exception of Uzbekistan, the rest of the countries were members of the Shanghai Five, founded as a result of the signing in 1996-1997. agreements between Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia and Tajikistan on strengthening confidence in the military field and on the mutual reduction of armed forces in the border area. After the inclusion of Uzbekistan in 2001, the participants renamed the organization.

The total territory of the SCO countries is 30 million km², that is, 60% of the territory of Eurasia. Its total demographic potential is a quarter of the planet's population (the total population of the participating countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization: 1 billion 455 million people), and its economic potential includes the most powerful Chinese economy after the United States.

One of the features of the SCO is that, in terms of status, it is neither a military bloc, like NATO, nor an open regular security meeting, like the ASEAN ARF, occupying an intermediate position. The main objectives of the organization are to strengthen stability and security in a wide area uniting member states, combat terrorism, separatism, extremism, drug trafficking, develop economic cooperation, energy partnership, scientific and cultural interaction.

The prerequisites for the creation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization were laid back in the 60s. 20th century, when the USSR and China began to resolve border issues. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, new negotiators emerged in the form of Russia and the newly formed states of Central Asia. After China managed to resolve all territorial issues with neighboring CIS states - Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan - in a civilized manner, prospects for the further development of fruitful regional cooperation opened up for the partners. For Russia and China, this was an attractive opportunity to unite under their auspices the efforts and potentials of the Central Asian states to curb the possible expansion of other world centers of power and influence in Central Asia.

Based on the existing favorable political climate, as well as due to the growing danger of the region turning into an area of ​​permanent instability due to the sharp intensification of international terrorism, the “Shanghai Five” was formed in 1996. Subsequent annual summits of the Shanghai Five were held in Moscow in 1997, Almaty (Kazakhstan) in 1998, Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) in 1999 and Dushanbe (Tajikistan) in 2000. By the time of the Bishkek summit, the need to develop interaction in a wide range of areas became obvious to all participants of the Shanghai Five, which required the creation of permanent cooperation mechanisms in the form of meetings of ministers and expert groups. In fact, the architecture of a new international organization began to take shape. An institution of national coordinators appointed by each country emerged.

In 2001, the next meeting was again held in Shanghai (China). Then five participating countries accepted Uzbekistan into the organization (which was recorded in a joint statement by the heads of state and led to the renaming of the organization to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or the “Shanghai Six”).

The first documents adopted by the SCO were the Declaration on the Establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism and the Joint Statement on the Connection of Uzbekistan to the Shanghai Five Mechanism.

The meeting of heads of state in June 2002 in St. Petersburg continued the institutionalization of the SCO: the Declaration on the establishment of the Organization was practically implemented in the signing of two new important acts - the Declaration of the Heads of State of the SCO member states, called the final political document by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, and the SCO Charter - basic statutory document.

As a result of the Moscow summit (May 28-29, 2003), the SCO Secretariat with headquarters in Beijing and the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) were created (the agreement on its creation was signed a year earlier in St. Petersburg.) Among the 30 documents signed then were and provisions defining the functioning of the organization's bodies - provisions on the Council of Heads of State, the Council of Heads of Government and the Council of Heads of Foreign Affairs.

Due to the fact that, following the Moscow summit, the organizational period of the SCO ended, on January 1, 2004 it began to function as a full-fledged international structure with its own working mechanisms, personnel and budget.

Following the results of the Tashkent summit (June 2004), the following documents were signed: the Tashkent Declaration following the meeting, the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the SCO, as well as a number of other documents. The composition of the organization expanded due to the admission of a new member - Mongolia - as an observer.

The meeting of the heads of state of the SCO, held in 2005, aroused genuine interest among political observers, since in addition to a new package of treaties and conventions, the participants signed the Declaration of the heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which recorded general approaches aimed at further consolidating efforts and strengthening coordination.

The main outcome documents of the Bishkek summit (August 2007) were the Treaty on Long-Term Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states and the Bishkek Declaration of the Heads of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states. The forum was also attended by the presidents of two observer countries to the SCO - President of Mongolia Nambaryn Enkhbayar and President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Two more observer states of the Organization were represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan Khurshid Kasuri and the Minister of Petroleum and natural gas India Murli Deorom.

In 2009, at a meeting in Yekaterinburg, the heads of the SCO member states decided to grant the status of SCO dialogue partner to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and the Republic of Belarus.

On April 28, 2010, a Memorandum was signed on granting the Republic of Belarus the status of an SCO dialogue partner, officially formalizing this status for Belarus.

2. Management structure of the organization

To fulfill the goals and objectives of the SCO Charter, the following bodies were established within the organization:

Council of Heads of State (CHS);

Council of Heads of Government (CHG);

Council of Foreign Ministers (CMFA);

Meetings of heads of ministries and departments;

Council of National Coordinators (CNC);

Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS);

Secretariat - a permanent administrative body headed by the Secretary General (since 2010 - representative of Kyrgyzstan M.S. Imanaliev).

Council of Heads of State (CHS) is the highest body of the SCO. It determines the priorities and main directions of the Organization’s activities, resolves 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 of the meeting of the Council of State Duma is carried out by the head of state - the organizer of the next meeting. The location of the meeting is determined, as a rule, according to the alphabetical order (Russian) of the list of SCO member states. The Council may also decide on the creation of other SCO bodies, which will be formalized in the form of additional protocols to the Charter.

Council of Heads of Government (CHG) adopts the SCO budget, which is formed on the basis of the principle of equity participation, considers and resolves major issues related to specific, especially economic, areas of development of interaction within the Organization. The Council meets for regular meetings once a year. The Council meeting is chaired by the head of government of the state on whose territory the meeting is being held.

Council of Foreign Ministers (CMFA) considers and resolves issues of the current activities of the Organization, including preparations for the meeting of the Council of State Duma, takes measures to implement the decisions of the Organization and conduct consultations within the SCO on international issues. The Council is chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the member state of the Organization on whose territory the next meeting of the Council of State Duma is held. When carrying out external contacts, the Chairman of the Council of Foreign Affairs represents the Organization in accordance with the Regulations on the Council’s work procedure.

Meetings of heads of ministries and/or departments are held to consider specific issues of developing interaction in relevant areas within the SCO. To date, a mechanism has been formed for holding meetings of prosecutors general, ministers of defense, ministers of economy and trade, ministers of communications, ministers of culture, as well as meetings of heads of law enforcement agencies and departments on emergency assistance to disaster victims. The chairmanship is carried out by the head of the relevant ministry and/or department of the state organizing the meeting. The place and time of the meeting are agreed upon in advance.

The Secretariat is a permanent administrative body of the SCO. He is entrusted with: organizational and technical support for events held within the SCO, participation in the development and implementation of documents of all bodies within the Organization, and preparation of proposals for the annual budget. The Secretariat is headed by the Secretary General, who is approved by the CHS. The Secretary General is appointed from among the citizens of the SCO member states on a rotation basis, in order of the Russian alphabet of the names of the member states, for a period of three years without the right of extension for the next term. Until 2006, there was no post of Secretary General; instead, there was the institution of an executive secretary, who formally could only act on behalf of the SCO Secretariat. There is an opinion that it is necessary to restructure the SCO Secretariat into a more independent executive body, due to its current lack of sufficient rights and funding. While in the UN, NATO, CSTO and other organizations the executive bodies are relatively independent and, therefore, are able to develop the agenda of their organizations themselves, come up with initiatives and even promote the adoption of their initiative proposals by the leadership of member states, the SCO Secretariat really does not conducts organizational work, which, in fact, is carried out by the Council of National Coordinators. As a result, Secretariat staff must coordinate any question with the national coordinator of the country that sent it, and he with the national coordinators of other countries. This does not contribute to the creation of institutional ethics in the Secretariat. It turns out that, in essence, the SCO Secretariat is not an independent body of an international organization, but a team consisting of national representatives.

Council of National Coordinators (CNC) coordinates and manages the current activities of the Organization, carries out the necessary preparations for the meetings of the Council of State Duma, the State Duma and the Council of Foreign Ministers. The Council of People's Commissars meets at least three times a year. The chairmanship of the Council of People's Commissars is carried out by the national coordinator of the member state of the Organization, on the territory of which the next meeting of the CHS will be held. The Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars, on behalf of the Chairman of the Council of Foreign Ministers, may represent the Organization in carrying out external contacts.

Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) - a permanent SCO body headquartered in Tashkent, designed to facilitate coordination and interaction between the competent authorities of the parties in the fight against terrorism, extremism and separatism. It has the status of a legal entity and the right to enter into contracts, acquire and dispose of movable and immovable property, open and maintain bank accounts, initiate lawsuits in courts and participate in legal proceedings. These rights are exercised on behalf of RATS by the Director of the RATS Executive Committee. The main functions of this body are to coordinate the efforts of all SCO member states in the fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism - developing proposals to combat terrorism, collecting and analyzing information, creating a data bank on individuals and organizations providing support to criminals, assisting in the preparation and carrying out operational-search and other activities to combat these phenomena, maintaining contacts with international organizations RATS consists of a Council and an Executive Committee (a permanent body). The Council, which includes the heads of the competent authorities of the countries of the Organization, is the governing decision-making body. The Chairman of the RATS Executive Committee is appointed by the Council of Heads of State.

Decisions in the SCO bodies are made by consensus. The operating procedures of all bodies of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization were finally developed and adopted in 2003, at the Moscow summit. The main structures of the organization began work in January 2004, after which this association functions as a full-fledged international organization.

3.1 Security area

The activities of the SCO initially lay in the sphere of mutual intraregional actions to suppress terrorist acts, as well as separatism and extremism in Central Asia. According to Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, it became the first international organization to make the idea of ​​fighting terrorism the core of its activities. Already among the first documents signed by the participants of the SCO inaugural summit in Shanghai (2001) was the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism, which for the first time at the international level established the definition of separatism and extremism as violent, criminally prosecuted acts. Since that time, the participating countries have given priority to the issues of resolving internal conflicts and achieving consensus in countering extremism and drug trafficking, as evidenced first by the creation of the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure, and then by the signing of the Treaty on Long-Term Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation.

On June 7, 2002, in St. Petersburg, at a meeting of the heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, an Agreement on the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure was signed. The main tasks and functions of the SCO RATS Executive Committee are defined in three priority areas:

coordination and operational direction (coordination and interaction of the competent authorities of the participating countries in the fight against terrorism, extremism, conducting anti-terrorism exercises, etc.);

international legal direction (participation in the preparation of international documents on issues of combating terrorism, including within the UN, assistance to the UN Security Council, etc.);

information and analytical direction (formation and replenishment of the RATS data bank, collection and analysis of information on issues of combating terrorism, etc.).

According to the testimony of the executive director of this organization, V. Kasymov, during the period between two SCO summits alone (July 5, 2005 - June 15, 2006), as a result of the activities of RATS on the territory of the SCO, more than 450 terrorist attacks were prevented, 15 leaders of terrorist organizations were detained or destroyed by the countries' special services Organizations, another 400 are wanted.

3.2 Economic activity

Despite the fact that the SCO was initially created with the goal of jointly protecting the borders of neighboring states, almost immediately its activities also acquired an economic focus. A few months after the start of the SCO, at their first meeting in Almaty, the prime ministers of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization discussed issues of regional trade and economic cooperation, the development of the SCO and other problems, signed a Memorandum between the governments of the SCO member states on the main goals and areas of regional economic cooperation and launching a process to create favorable conditions in the field of trade and investment.

In May of the following year, the first meeting of the ministers of economy and trade of the SCO member states was held in Shanghai. The parties officially launched a mechanism for holding meetings of the ministers of economy and trade and creating favorable conditions in the field of trade and investment. As a result of the meeting, a protocol was signed to the Memorandum between the governments of the SCO member states on the main goals and directions of regional economic cooperation and the launch of the process of creating favorable conditions in the field of trade and investment and a joint statement following the results of the first meeting of ministers responsible for foreign economic and foreign trade activities.

In September 2003, the heads of government of the SCO member countries signed the Program of Multilateral Trade and Economic Cooperation for 20 years. The long-term goal is to create a free trade zone in the SCO, and in the short term - to increase the flow of goods in the region. Cooperation should cover the areas of energy, transport, agriculture, telecommunications, environmental protection, etc. An action plan to develop cooperation was signed a year later, in September 2004.

A special place in economic relations China occupies the SCO countries. Every year, he influences the economic situation in the region more and more seriously, stimulates cooperation between the SCO countries in this area, insisting on the creation of a free trade zone, and at the same time the creation of infrastructure for trade and investment. By drawing the economies of the countries of the Central Asian region (CAR) into the orbit of its economic interests, the PRC views them primarily as reliable markets for its goods. It is from the point of view of expanding trade cooperation that China actively supports the entry of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries into the World Trade Organization.

Following the summit in Yekaterinburg, as well as the meeting of the heads of state of the BRIC group that took place the next day, on June 17, 2009, Russia and China entered into an unprecedented agreement in the energy sector worth one hundred billion dollars. The largest deal in the history of bilateral relations between Russia and China was announced by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev after negotiations with Chinese leader Hu Jintao. The top officials agreed to develop a mechanism for mutual settlements in rubles and yuan. So far, all transactions between Russia and China are valued in dollars. But if the initiative of the PRC and the Russian Federation is implemented, it could affect not only Russian-Chinese relations, but also the entire world trade. Moscow and Beijing intend to replace the dollar with the yuan and the ruble.

3.3 Cultural and humanitarian activities

In the Declaration on the creation of the SCO, the participating countries also stated the need to develop cultural cooperation.

For the first time, the ministers of culture of the participating countries met in Beijing on April 12, 2002. Governments actively supported the holding of Culture Days, the participation of artistic groups and artists. Since that time, humanitarian cooperation has gradually intensified: joint events are held to coincide with significant historical dates of the SCO member countries, exchanges of students and teaching staff are practiced, attempts are made to create joint training centers. In 2008, the SCO University was formed as a single network educational space based on universities conducting research in the areas of regional studies, IT technology, nanotechnology, energy, ecology - by 2010 there were 53 universities from 5 SCO countries.

Connections are also developing in the field of art. Since 2005, exhibitions of children's drawings “Children Draw Fairy Tales” have been regularly held annually. The idea of ​​the project initiators was to stimulate children’s interest in culture through folk tales neighboring countries, as well as a national treasure, was actively supported by the SCO Secretariat, which approached representatives of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan with a proposal to organize a joint exhibition of children's drawings. The proposal received a wide response, and in June 2009, the vernissage of children's drawings presented by all SCO member countries was held for the twenty-first time.

Like other areas of interaction, humanitarian cooperation within the SCO has broad prospects.

Criticism of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization largely concerns the inadequacy of its activities, in particular in the fight against terrorism and the protection of regional security. Some foreign analysts (for example, Matthew Oresman from the American Center for Strategic and International Studies) suggest that the SCO is nothing more than a discussion club that claims to be something more. The head of the Institute shares the same opinion military history Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation A. A. Koltyukov, asserting that “an analysis of the results achieved by this Organization allows us to characterize it as a political club in which bilateral cooperation still prevails over the solution of regional and global problems. ... there is no real cooperation in these areas, countering the threats of terrorism, separatism and the fight against drug trafficking at the regional level.”

4. Participation of the Russian Federation in the SCO

In the conditions of formation new system In international relations, building a collective system of regional security is a very urgent task. When considering various aspects of ensuring regional security in Central Asia, special attention must be paid to the foreign policy dimension, which plays an important role in the safe development of states, taking into account the modern increasing interdependence in the globalizing space of international relations.

Based on the results of the 10-year existence of the SCO, it can be argued that the Organization has stood the test of time. Currently, within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization there are no such centrifugal forces that, for example, are observed in the CIS. One can say more: in the post-Soviet space, the SCO has become the most powerful and promising organization of international cooperation. The Russian-Georgian conflict of August 2008 and the mass unrest in Kyrgyzstan in the summer of 2010 presented a serious challenge to the SCO in these years.

However, the organization coped with them. At the moment, everything suggests that good Russian-Chinese relations in Central Asia will continue. They are a factor of stability and a factor in containing security threats in the region. And although there are some contradictions and tensions between the SCO states, outwardly the SCO looks like a fairly monolithic structure: there is something that unites these states, even though the SCO member countries differ in many ways in key indicators. China and Russia account for 98% of the population and 97% of the total GDP of the integration association, however, despite the global financial crisis of the late 2000s, the mutual trade turnover of the SCO member countries is characterized by high growth dynamics. Among the SCO countries, China ($196 billion), Russia ($134.3 billion), Kazakhstan ($14.8 billion) and Uzbekistan ($2.4 billion) have a positive foreign trade balance among the SCO countries. And even though Russia’s relative influence in the SCO is less than in the CIS, the SCO plays an important role for Russia in connecting China to multilateral cooperation in Central Asia, and in the future, other large countries regions such as India, Iran, Pakistan and Mongolia.

For the Central Asian states, where the unilateral influence of Russia or China is perceived with some concern, their joint presence within the SCO, where the Central Asian states themselves are equal members and all issues are resolved by consensus, is the most effective mechanism of interaction.

List of used literature

en.wikipedia.org

Shanghai Cooperation Organization: towards new frontiers of development

/ Comp.: A.F. Klimenko. - 1st. - M.: Daln Institute. Vost., 2008. - 400 p.

Interaction of Russia with China and other partners in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization / Anatoly Viktorovich Bolyatko. - 1st. - M.: Daln Institute. East RAS, 2008. - 180 p.

Komissina I. N.; Kurtov A. A. Shanghai Cooperation Organization

// Kokarev K. A. Russia in Asia: problems of interaction: collection of articles. - M.: Publishing house of the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies, 2006. - P. 251

Shanghai organizations cooperation, Shanghai ...

Integration (connection, rapprochement) is one of the processes typical for the modern world. All states have long realized that international isolation does not lead to anything good. That is why countries unite into various organizations on the basis of economic, political, cultural or military-strategic cooperation. This article will discuss what the SCO and BRICS are. When did these organizations arise, and what states are part of them today?

SCO: decoding and general information

This Eurasian association was formed in beginning of XXI century by six states. The issue of reducing the number of military personnel in areas of common borders is what became the prerequisite for the formation of the SCO.

The decoding of the name of this organization is simple: Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Why Shanghai? Everything is very simple. The fact is that the backbone of this association was the five countries that, back in 1997, became part of the so-called Shanghai Five, having signed a corresponding agreement.

What is the SCO? Which countries are included in it? And what goals does this association of states pursue? Let's try to figure this out.

Answering the question about what the SCO is, it should be noted, first of all, that it is by no means a military bloc. Although ensuring the safe and stable development of the participating countries is the main task of this organization. We can say that the SCO is a cross between ASEAN and the fight against terrorism, extremism and drug trafficking is also included in the interests of this international organization. SCO members also do not ignore issues of economic, cultural, and scientific cooperation.

History of the organization's creation

To give a full answer to the question of what the SCO is, it is important to study the history of the creation of this organization. It all started with the signing in 1997 of an agreement on mutual military trust between five countries. These were China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The organization itself (actually, the SCO) was founded in 2001 by the leaders of these same five states. In addition, Uzbekistan also joined them.

Although the very first prerequisites for integration in this direction arose back in the late 60s. It was then that a loud conflict occurred on Damansky Island between Soviet and Chinese border guards. After this incident, the USSR and China sat down at the negotiating table to resolve the problem of mutual territorial disputes.

The SCO countries held their first meeting in the new composition in June 2002 in the northern capital of Russia - the city of St. Petersburg. It was there that the SCO Charter was signed, which officially completed the process of institutionalizing the organization.

Composition of the SCO and its participants

An international organization is characterized by a hierarchical structure. It includes several bodies: the Council of Heads of Participating Countries, the Council of Government Leaders, the Council of Foreign Ministers of States, and so on. Also within the SCO there is a permanent administrative body - the Secretariat. At the moment it is headed by a representative from the Russian Federation.

What are "SCO countries"? In other words, which states are its members?

For quite a long time, the SCO included only six countries, which founded this organization at the beginning of the third millennium. However, in 2015 (namely, July 10), the association gained two more new members from South Asia.

Thus, as of autumn 2015, all SCO countries are listed below:

• Russia.
• Kazakhstan.
• Uzbekistan.
• Tajikistan.
• Kyrgyzstan.
• China.
• India.
• Pakistan.

These are the SCO member countries. In addition, the structure of this organization includes so-called observer states. These include Belarus, Afghanistan, Iran and Mongolia. Three more countries (Syria, Bangladesh and Egypt) are candidates for SCO observer states.

In addition, the SCO is trying to closely cooperate with other international organizations (UN, ASEAN, CIS and others). Their representatives regularly receive official invitations to participate in SCO summits.

Goals of the organization and aspects of cooperation

The SCO states cooperate in several areas. This:

• military security;
• economics and trade;
• the science;
• culture and humanitarian sphere.

What are the main objectives of this integration association? It is no secret that the main task of the SCO is to strengthen the policy of good neighborliness between its members, as well as jointly counter the manifestations of international terrorism and extremism. In addition, participating countries are looking for ways to achieve inclusive economic growth in their region.

The place of the SCO in the political arena of the planet

Of course, the key players in the SCO are China, Russia and India. These countries account for about 95% of the organization's total population and total GDP. It should be noted that the overall trade turnover between SCO members is characterized by positive dynamics (and this is in the context of the current and deep economic crisis).

Many experts note that the organization acts as a kind of bridge that “pulls” China into the political field Central Asia, thereby bringing it closer to Russia. The same can be said about India and Pakistan.

For the Central Powers, participation in programs within the SCO is also quite beneficial. After all, this region is surrounded by two geopolitical giants - China and the Russian Federation. However, in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, all Central Asian countries act as equal members who play an important role in resolving all issues.

So far, of the five Central Asian states, only Turkmenistan is not a permanent member of the SCO.

BRICS: briefly about unification

BRICS is an international association that includes five independent states. These are Brazil, Russia, India, China and all these countries are characterized by rapid rates of economic development.

Initially, this association had the abbreviation BRIC. If you write its founders in English letters and in a specific order (Brazil, Russia, India, China), then the origin of the abbreviated group name will become obvious. This abbreviation existed until 2011, when South Africa joined the organization. And the name was replenished with one more letter and began to have modern look: BRICS (BRIC+S).

Some experts argue that it was not by chance that this appeared on the geopolitical map of the world. After all, when certain circumstances these five countries can become dominant economic systems on the planet by the middle of the 21st century. Their markets, thanks to huge reserves of natural and human resources, are actively and very quickly developing.

However, whether these states will be able to create a powerful political union is still unknown. If this does happen, then BRICS could become an influential counterweight to the United States on the world political and economic arena.

BRICS summits and expansion prospects

Three BRICS members are located in Eurasia, one in South America and another one in Africa. All these states are among the top thirty in the world in terms of GDP. It is possible that BRICS will expand over time. Thus, experts call Iran, Turkey, and Indonesia the most realistic candidates for joining the association.

The main tool for establishing political dialogue between the BRICS member countries is its summits. The first full-fledged meeting took place in Yekaterinburg in 2009, the second - a year later in the city of Brasilia. To date, six BRICS summits have already taken place, but all decisions made by group members are purely advisory in nature.

Finally...

IN modern world irreversible. Different states unite in organizations to cooperate economically and culturally, and together resist external military threats.

This article discussed what the SCO is and what the BRICS group is. The first organization united the countries of Asia, and the second - five large states from different continents. But in both associations Active participation accepted by Russia and China.