The 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is held at the Independence Palace in Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan on Thursday. (Xinhua)
ASTANA, Kazakhstan – In a display of unity, leaders of Eurasian countries pledged Thursday to strengthen the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's goal of shaping a new world order and to enhance security cooperation amid global geopolitical turbulence.
At the SCO summit in Astana, chaired by Kazakhstan, leaders from the 10 member countries, including Russia and China, agreed that the organization was imperative in shaping a new multipolar world to move away from the current Western-led order.
The summit adopted the "Astana Declaration" as the key outcome, according to the Kazakh government.
In the declaration, "member states underscored the SCO’s role in bolstering global peace, security, and stability and shaping a new democratic, equitable international political and economic order, inviting the global community to join the initiative," the Kazakh government said Thursday, without further details.
During the SCO summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the "coordinated approaches of the SCO countries to key aspects of the global and regional agenda are outlined in the Astana Declaration."
"Additionally, it emphasizes the commitment of all SCO countries to shaping a fair multipolar world order based on the central role of the UN, international law and the striving of sovereign states for mutually beneficial partnerships," Putin said.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Thursday. (Reuters)
The summit also approved 25 strategic documents to enhance cooperation in energy, security, trade, finance, and information security, including the adoption of the "Initiative on World Unity for Just Peace, Harmony, and Development."
This initiative, first proposed by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, aims to coordinate confidence-building measures to promote stability and security among Eurasian countries.
Key resolutions at the summit also encompassed cooperation programs to combat terrorism, separatism, and extremism for 2025-2027, the anti-drug strategy for the next five years, and its corresponding action program. Additionally, strategies for energy cooperation until 2030 and the economic development strategy’s action plan until 2030 were approved.
During the summit, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev also revealed "Today at the summit we agreed to take comprehensive measures to simplify trade procedures and develop e-commerce, stimulate technological cooperation, including in the industries of the future."
From left, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Iranian Interim President Mohammad Mokhber, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Turkmen People's Council (Khalk Maslahaty) Chairman Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh and Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of the Sharjah Media Council of the United Arab Emirates pose for a photo at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Plus summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, Thursday. (Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
The SCO now has 10 members, including China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan as founding members in 2001, India and Pakistan joined in 2017, and more recently, Iran in 2021. Belarus was added to the roster at Thursday's summit.
The organization also includes two observer states, Afghanistan and Mongolia, and 14 dialogue partners, such as Azerbaijan, Armenia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.
As the world's largest regional organization by geographic coverage and population, the SCO represents over 3 billion people — nearly 45 percent of the world’s population — and spans over 60 percent of the Eurasian landmass. According to data from the Kazakh government, member countries contribute approximately $23 trillion to global GDP.
Another noteworthy event was the first-ever meeting of the SCO Plus format, attended by leaders of SCO nations, along with leaders from five SCO-affiliated countries: Mongolia, Azerbaijan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was also in attendance.
During the SCO Plus meeting, leaders underscored the need for enhanced cooperation and coordination among SCO members and partners to tackle global security and economic challenges.
“Collective promotion of the agenda of peaceful and harmonious development remains a primary task. I am confident that only collective efforts and wise diplomacy can help settle the existing core contradictions in the world and ensure long-term stability,” Tokayev said.
Mirziyoyev highlighted that the "nature and scope of contemporary challenges have undergone a significant transformation" since the establishment of SCO, citing threats ranging from environmental disasters and water and food shortages to efforts to undermine sovereignty and economic stability.
"All of this should also be taken into account when considering the strengthening of the SCO's potential," Mirziyoyev said, proposing to hold an annual SCO Plus Dialogue on security issues.
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Thursday. (Reuters)
Sharing this sentiment, Chinese President Xi Jinping also noted that the "international landscape is undergoing rapid transformation," urging collective efforts to navigate this change and advocating for "an equal and orderly multipolar world."
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi underscored the growing significance of the SCO at a critical juncture when the "world is currently experiencing profound shifts driven by geopolitical tensions, geo-economic forces, and geo-technological advancements."
"Even as we address those, let us be clear that the world is inexorably moving towards real multipolarity. In such a scenario, the SCO will only become more important," Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said, reading Modi's speech on his behalf, as the Indian prime minister did not attend the summit.
"But its true value would depend on how well all of us cooperate amongst ourselves. We have already had that discussion within the SCO. The same extends to the extended family as well."
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