Shanghai Cooperation Organisation - The Times Of Central Asia

Viewing results 1 - 6 of 4

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

Participants at SCO Summit in Astana to Adopt New Security Paradigm

Participants at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana will appeal to the world community to start an honest and open dialogue and adopt a new security paradigm, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has stated in an interview with the Xinhua news agency. The SCO summit will be held in Astana on July 3-4, and member states, observers, and dialog partners will participate. U.N. Secretary-General, António Gutterish will also be in attendance. The SCO currently has nine member states: China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan, Belarus, and Mongolia hold observer status, though Belarus is expected to become a full member of the Organization at the upcoming summit. According to Tokayev, the summit is expected to make strategically important decisions regarding the organization's future. "The main areas of interaction for the medium term will be defined, and initiatives will be developed for the adequate and timely response to current challenges and threats," Tokayev stated. The president also noted that the summit's final decisions will fully embody the fundamental principles of the "Shanghai spirit": friendship, mutual trust, mutual benefit, and the consideration of each other's interests. "Participants of the summit in Astana will appeal to the world community to start an honest and open global dialog, adopt a new security paradigm, create a fair economic environment, and make the necessary efforts to protect the planet's purity," he added. The President also stated that 2024 was declared the SCO Year of Ecology on the initiative of Kazakhstan. "International documents in ecology, protection of natural territories, ecotourism, combating climate change have been developed and are planned for adoption," Tokayev added. Earlier, the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping will participate in the 24th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO in Astana. At the invitation of the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, President Xi Jinping will also visit these two countries.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

SCO Summit in Astana: Will the West Accept the Role of the “Middle Powers”?

Kazakhstan will chair the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana on July 3-4. During the event, significant global initiatives are expected to be proposed. Will Modi attend? Kazakhstan has been chairing the SCO since July 2023, and following this summit the organization's presidency will pass to China. The SCO was founded in 2001 by the leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. In 2017, India and Pakistan became members of the organization, whilst Iran joined in 2022, and Belarus is expected to join the SCO in the summer of 2024. The association's main tasks are to strengthen stability, fight terrorism and drug smuggling, develop economic cooperation and energy, and promote scientific and cultural partnerships. The summit in Astana is expected to be attended by heads of state and government of 15 countries: Kazakhstan, Iran, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Mongolia, Azerbaijan, Qatar, UAE, Turkey and Turkmenistan. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will also participate. According to foreign media, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi intends to avoid the summit. In particular, The Federal reports that the main reason for his decision is an unwillingness to be surrounded by anti-American attitudes. "Although it has not been officially announced yet, unofficially, Indian diplomats have confirmed that Modi will not attend the SCO summit. Foreign Minister, S. Jaishankar will represent India in Kazakhstan instead," the publication reported. Since the SCO includes China, Russia, and Iran, whose relations with the U.S. remain strained, anti-American statements are possible, even likely, during the summit, and Modi does not want to be associated with them. Nevertheless, in his conversation with President Tokayev, he expressed support for the activities of the SCO and his intention to cooperate. Solving global problems The SCO unites countries with a combined population of about 3.5 billion people, so its members face the full range of contemporary problems: terrorism, geopolitical tensions, environmental pollution, climate change, and underdeveloped logistics. In particular, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has emphasized that Afghanistan's situation deserves close attention during the upcoming summit. According to Tokayev, it is essential to continue efforts to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and create the conditions for its long-term stabilization. Political analysts say that Kazakhstan is making quite an effort to bring stability to Afghanistan. The republic is supplying food so that a real controlling force can begin to build a relatively stable government and further reduce the risks from terrorist activity and migration. In his policy statements, President Tokayev called on countries like Kazakhstan to actively promote their role as participants in global processes as responsible players on the world stage. "In today's world, gripped by increased geopolitical turbulence and ongoing conflicts, multilateral solutions are in demand more than ever. Armed clashes in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa are claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands of people at a time when global challenges such as climate change have left millions hungry, unprotected, and displaced. These conflicts appear intractable, and the hope of overcoming them is fading. Against...

U.N. Guterres SCO Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

U.N. Chief to Deliver Peace Message during Central Asia Tour

This week, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is in Central Asia, where he will call for peace at a time of heightened international tension. Guterres arrived in Uzbekistan on the weekend and will also travel to Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. He´ll be in the Kazakh capital of Astana on Thursday to address the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a regional group that was founded in 2001 by China, Russia and several Central Asian countries. The SCO is a forum for discussion of security, economic and political issues that is viewed in some circles as a counter to Western power and alliances, although Central Asian countries also have longstanding ties with Europe and the United States. Guterres will highlight “our common commitment” to multi-lateralism, international law and human rights, and is ”also expected to underscore that today’s deep global divisions are preventing countries from coming together to resolve the two serious threats emerging from climate change and digital technologies,” United Nations spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said in New York on Friday. Guterres delivered a similar message at last year’s SCO meeting, which was hosted via video-conference by India. The U.N. chief said divisions and geopolitical tensions were growing even as the need for countries to work together was becoming more urgent. Delegates at last year’s SCO meeting mostly avoided direct references to Russia’s war against Western-backed Ukraine, a major source of geopolitical tension that has disrupted food and fuel supplies to many countries. China-West tensions are also on the rise. The SCO’s members are China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, India and Pakistan. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has said he expects Belarus to become a new member of the group at the Astana meeting.

Regional threats Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

Kazakhstan’s President Addresses Regional Threats

In preparation for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana later this year, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with security council secretaries of SCO member states: China, Russia, India, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. In his speech on April 3rd, the president began by reiterating the fact that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization had been created to ensure stability and security in the region by curbing the ‘three forces of evil’: terrorism, separatism, and extremism: “These threats - are being transformed, acquiring new severity. We, in turn, need more systematic and decisive responses. We must not allow manifestations of terrorism, extremism, and separatism to be used to undermine internal stability in our states. Countering the ‘three forces of evil,’ as well as transnational organized crime, drug trafficking and cybersecurity challenges, is one of the priorities of Kazakhstan’s chairmanship in the SCO.” He continued by stating the need for an SCO Cooperation Program to counter terrorism, separatism, and extremism for 2025-2027, and the adoption of the SCO Anti-Drug Strategy for 2024-2029. Turning to the situation in Afghanistan, the Kazakh president advised that SCO members paid due attention to developments to prevent the use of its territory by international terrorist groups. He also stressed the importance of continued efforts to alleviate the country’s humanitarian crisis and create conditions for its long-term stabilization. Emphasis was also placed on conflict in the Middle East which remains a serious factor in undermining security: “Its tragic consequences were felt by civilians. Irreparable damage has been caused to regional stability. High-level diplomacy is needed to prevent further escalation. I firmly believe that our organization, representing half the world’s population, can offer a formula for a safe and just world.”