The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held its 24th Summit on July 3-4 in Astana. The leaders of SCO member states attended the summit, including the presidents from China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan, and Pakistan's Prime Minister. India's President Modi did not attend the summit. Still, he sent his Minister of External Affairs instead, signaling a cautious approach due to Russia’s close ties with China and questions about what India could gain from the SCO. The placeholder for the Iranian presidency also attended the summit. The presence of Turkey's and Azerbaijan's leaders as dialogue partners and the leader of the new SCO member, Belarus, further highlighted the summit's significance.
The Astana Declaration was a key outcome of this SCO summit. The declaration included a call for a multipolar world order, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and counterterrorism efforts. It also condemned civilian deaths in Gaza and denounced double standards regarding terrorism. However, given Iran’s participation, it is doubtful that these clauses were intended to target groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
In addition to BRICS, the SCO is one of the few international organizations in which China plays a leadership role. In his speech at the summit, Xi Jinping called for “an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, practice true multilateralism, and make global governance more just and equitable” and stated that “the SCO should make its important contribution to eliminating the deficits in peace, development, security, and governance.” This indicates China’s vision for the world and what it intends to replace the current world order with should it fall. However, as the organization shifted from countering nationalistic activities among Central Asian populations to being billed as an alternative to NATO, it has lost much of its effectiveness in addressing regional issues due to too many countries' animosity towards each other.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held its 24th Summit on July 3-4 in Astana. The leaders of SCO member states attended the summit, including the presidents from China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan, and Pakistan's Prime Minister. India's President Modi did not attend the summit. Still, he sent his Minister of External Affairs instead, signaling a cautious approach due to Russia’s close ties with China and questions about what India could gain from the SCO. The placeholder for the Iranian presidency also attended the summit. The presence of Turkey's and Azerbaijan's leaders as dialogue partners and the leader of the new SCO member, Belarus, further highlighted the summit's significance.
The Astana Declaration was a key outcome of this SCO summit. The declaration included a call for a multipolar world order, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and counterterrorism efforts. It also condemned civilian deaths in Gaza and denounced double standards regarding terrorism. However, given Iran’s participation, it is doubtful that these clauses were intended to target groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
In addition to BRICS, the SCO is one of the few international organizations in which China plays a leadership role. In his speech at the summit, Xi Jinping called for “an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, practice true multilateralism, and make global governance more just and equitable” and stated that “the SCO should make its important contribution to eliminating the deficits in peace, development, security, and governance.” This indicates China’s vision for the world and what it intends to replace the current world order with should it fall. However, as the organization shifted from countering nationalistic activities among Central Asian populations to being billed as an alternative to NATO, it has lost much of its effectiveness in addressing regional issues due to too many countries' animosity towards each other.