Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

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Template:Infobox Geopolitical organization The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is an intergovernmental mutual-security organization which was founded in 2001 by the leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Except for Uzbekistan, the other countries had been members of the Shanghai Five, founded in 1996; after the inclusion of Uzbekistan in 2001, the members renamed the organization.

Contents

[edit] Official names

The official working languages of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation are Chinese and Russian. The official names of the organisation in the two languages, abbreviations in parentheses, are:

Chinese:

Russian:

[edit] Origins

The Shanghai Five grouping was originally created April 26 1996 with the signing of the Treaty on Deepening Military Trust in Border Regions in Shanghai by the heads of states of Kazakhstan, the People's Republic of China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. April 24 1997 the same countries signed the Treaty on Reduction of Military Forces in Border Regions in a meeting in Moscow.

Subsequent annual summits of the Shanghai Five group occurred 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 nations first admitted Uzbekistan in the Shanghai Five mechanism (thus transforming it into the Shanghai Six). Then all six heads of state signed on June 15, 2001, the Declaration of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, praising the role played thus far by the Shanghai Five mechanism and aiming to transform it to a higher level of cooperation. In July 2001, Russia and the PRC, the organisation's two leading nations, signed the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation.

In June 2002, the heads of the SCO member states met in St. Petersburg, Russia. There they signed the SCO Charter which expounded on the organisation's purposes, principles, structures and form of operation, and established it officially from the point of view of international law.

[edit] Activities

[edit] Cooperation on security

The SCO is primarily centered around its member nations' Central Asian security-related concerns, often describing the main threats it confronts as being terrorism, separatism and extremism.

At the June 16-17 2004 SCO summit, held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, the Regional Antiterrorism Structure (RATS) was established. On 21 April, 2006, the SCO announced plans to fight cross-border drug crimes under the counter-terrorism rubric.[1]

Grigory Logninov claimed in April 2006 that the SCO has no plans to become a military bloc; nonetheless he argued that the increased threats of "terrorism, extremism and separatism" make necessary a full-scale involvement of armed forces.[2]

There have been a number of SCO joint military exercises. The first of these was held in 2003, with the first phase taking place in Kazakhstan and the second in China.[3]

On a larger scale, but outside the SCO framework, the first ever joint military exercise between the PRC and Russia, called Peace Mission 2005 started on August 19, 2005. Following their successful completion, Russian officials have begun speaking of India joining such exercises in the future and the SCO taking on a military role.

The joint military exercises in 2007 took place in Chelyabinsk Russia, near the Ural Mountains and close to Central Asia, as was agreed upon on April 2006 at a meeting of SCO Defense Ministers. More than 4,000 soldiers participated from China. Air forces and precision-guided weapons were have likely to be used. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said that the exercises will be transparent and open to media and the public.[3][4]

In October 2007, the SCO signed an agreement with the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), in the Tajik capital Dushanbe, to broaden cooperation on issues such as security, crime, and drug trafficking.[5] Joint action plans between the two organizations are planned to be signed by early 2008 in Beijing.[6]

[edit] Economic cooperation

A Framework Agreement to enhance economic cooperation was signed by the SCO member states on 23 September, 2003. At the same meeting the PRC's Premier, Wen Jiabao, proposed a long-term objective to establish a free trade area in the SCO, while other more immediate measures would be taken to improve the flow of goods in the region. A follow up plan with 100 specific actions was signed one year later, on September 23 2004.[7][8]

On 26 October 2005, the Moscow Summit of the SCO, the Secretary General of the Organisation said that the SCO will prioritise joint energy projects; such will include the oil and gas sector, the exploration of new hydrocarbon reserves, and joint use of water resources. The creation of an Inter-bank SCO Council was also agreed upon at that summit in order to fund future joint projects. The first meeting of the SCO Interbank Association was held in Beijing on 21-22 February 2006.[9][10] On 30 November 2006, at The SCO: Results and Perspectives, an international conference held in Almaty, the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Russia is developing plans for an SCO "Energy Club".[11]. The need for this "club" was reiterated by Moscow at an SCO summit in November 2007. Other SCO members, however, have not committed themselves to the idea.[12]

[edit] Cultural cooperation

Cultural cooperation also occurs in the SCO framework. Culture ministers of the SCO met for the first time in Beijing on 12 April 2002, signing a joint statement for continued cooperation. The third meeting of the Culture Ministers took place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on 27-28 April 2006.[13][14]

An SCO Arts Festival and Exhibition was held for the first time during the Astana Summit in 2005. Kazakhstan has also suggested an SCO folk dance festival to take place in 2008, in Astana.[15]

[edit] Future membership possibilities

Among other nations of the wider region, Mongolia became the first country to receive observer status at the 2004 Tashkent Summit. Pakistan, India and Iran received observer status at the 2005 SCO summit in Astana, Kazakhstan on July 5 2005. Pakistan and Iran have been lobbying for full membership, while India and Mongolia have not shown strong interest in becoming official members.[16]

Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Li Hui once said that the SCO will not take in new members before its six members make serious studies. Russia's permanent representative in the SCO Secretariat Grigory Logninov has also claimed that the enlargement of the SCO is impeded by "an immature mechanism of admission of new members", while Secretary General Zhang Deguang argued that an over-expansion might hinder the intensification of the cooperation.[17]

In a series of meetings in February 2006 with Chinese officials and media, the President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf argued in favour of Pakistan's qualification to join the organisation as a full member. China said that it would convey Pakistan’s desire to all SCO member states. In turn, Musharraf was formally invited to the sixth summit of the SCO to take place in Shanghai in June 2006.[18][19]

The SCO has also encouraged India to join the organisation, saying that they would properly consider a membership application should it decide to join the group. Russia has been said to support Pakistan's membership only if India joins at the same time;[20] given the disputes between the two nations, this scenario parallels the simultaneous entry of Greece and Turkey as members of NATO. So far, India has not made an official membership application, but has unofficially made its interest in joining known.[citation needed]Belarus has also applied for observer status in the organisation and has been promised Kazakhstan's support towards that goal. However, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov voiced doubt on the probability of Belarus' membership, saying that Belarus was a purely European country.[20]

[edit] Power balance in a multi-polar world

Together, SCO full and observer members form not only the world's biggest economic and military power, but also the world's biggest producer and consumer of energy. Moreover, SCO countries (full members and observers) comprise a hefty 25% of Earth's land area. Although the declaration on the establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation contained a statement that it "is not an alliance directed against other states and regions and it adheres to the principle of openness", many observers believe that one of the original purposes of the SCO was to serve as a counterbalance to NATO and the United States and in particular to avoid conflicts that would allow the United States to intervene in areas near both Russia and China. Some observers also believe that the organisation was formed as a direct response to the threat of missile defense systems by the United States, after the United States reversed course in its nuclear policy and began promoting National Missile Defense.

The United States applied for observer status in the SCO, but was rejected in 2005.[21]

At the Astana summit in July 2005, with the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq foreshadowing an indefinite presence of U.S. forces in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, the SCO urged the U.S. to set a timetable for withdrawing its troops from SCO member states. Shortly afterwards, Uzbekistan asked the U.S. to leave the K-2 air base.[22]

Recently the SCO has made no direct comments against the U.S. or its military presence in the region. However, several indirect statements at the past summits, including the 2007 summit in Bishkek, have been viewed as "thinly veiled swipes at Washington".[23]

[edit] Membership

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[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Discussion

Media

Articles and research

[edit] References

  1. ^ SCO to intensify fight against cross-border drug crimes Xinhua.net
  2. ^ SCO gets ready for joint military excercise World Student Press Agency
  3. ↑ a b SCO to stage joint anti-terror military exercise in 2007 Xinhua.net
  4. ^ SCO's anti-terrorism military drill to be transparent Xinhua.net
  5. ^ Security alliances led by Russia, China link up Daily Times
  6. ^ Kazakhstan Notes Afghanistan's Emerging Security Agenda Eurasia Daily Monitor
  7. ^ China Intensifies Regional Trade Talks International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD)
  8. ^ Joint Communique of the Council of the Governmental Heads (Prime Ministers) of Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States University of Hawaii
  9. ^ Shanghai Cooperation Organization Eyes Economic, Security Cooperation The Jamestown Foundation
  10. ^ SCO Ministers of Foreign Economic Activity and Trade to meet in Tashkent National Bank of Uzbekistan
  11. ^ Russia's Foreign Ministry develops concept of SCO energy club Gazeta.kz
  12. ^ Russia Urges Formation of Central Asian Energy Club Eurasianet
  13. ^ Culture Ministers of SCO Member States Meet in Beijing People's Daily
  14. ^ SCO Culture Ministers to Meet in Tashkent Gazeta.kz
  15. ^ Kazakhstan Backs Promotion of SCO Cultural Ties Embassy of Kazakhstan in India
  16. ^ SCO Fails to Solve Its Expansion Dilemma Central Asia-Caucasus Institute
  17. ^ SCO has immature mechanism of new members admission - official UzReport
  18. ^ Pakistan qualifies to become SCO Member: Musharraf Pakistan Times
  19. ^ China invites Musharraf to SCO summit Dawn News
  20. ↑ a b The Shanghai Cooperation Organization acquires military character Kommersant
  21. ^ Shanghai surprise Guardian Unlimited
  22. ^ Central Asia: China and Russia up the ante The Hindu
  23. ^ Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summiteers Take Shots at US Presence in Central Asia Eurasianet


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de:Shanghai Cooperation Organisation es:Organización de Cooperación de Shanghai eo:Ŝanhaja Organizo por Kunlaboro fa:سازمان همکاری شانگهای fr:Organisation de coopération de Shanghai ko:상하이 협력 기구 it:Shanghai Cooperation Organisation kk:Шаңхай ынтымақтастық ұйымы lt:Šanchajaus bendradarbiavimo organizacija ms:Pertubuhan Kerjasama Shanghai nl:Sjanghai-samenwerkingsorganisatie ja:上海協力機構 no:Shanghai Cooperation Organisation pl:Szanghajska Organizacja Współpracy pt:Organização para Cooperação de Xangai ru:Шанхайская организация сотрудничества fi:Shanghain yhteistyöjärjestö vi:Tổ chức Hợp tác Thượng Hải tr:Şanghay İşbirliği Örgütü uk:Шанхайська організація співробітництва zh:上海合作组织

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