Sergey Saenko, international observer

A summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was held in Astana on July 3-4, in which most leaders of member countries, observer states and partners of this association took part. The summit in the capital of Kazakhstan was held under the slogan “Strengthening multilateral dialogue – striving for sustainable peace and development.” Representation in the SCO allows us to assert that today this organization is becoming not only regional, but transregional and one of the most influential in the world. Suffice it to say that the SCO now accounts for about a third of world GDP, 60% of the territory of Eurasia and 42% of the population of the entire planet.

It should be noted that the previous SCO summit was held in 2023 in an online format under the chairmanship of India. The host of the current summit was the President of Kazakhstan, currently chairing the SCO, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was invited to the summit. Due to important meetings of the country’s parliament, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was unable to come to Astana.

On the first day of the summit, July 3, a number of bilateral meetings took place on its sidelines. Thus, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, summit host Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, and acting President of Iran Mohammad Mokhber and discussed with them a number of issues of mutual interest.

It should be noted that the previous SCO summit was held in 2023 in an online format under the chairmanship of India. The host of the current summit was the President of Kazakhstan, currently chairing the SCO, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was invited to the summit. Due to important meetings of the country’s parliament, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was unable to come to Astana.

On the first day of the summit, July 3, a number of bilateral meetings took place on its sidelines. Thus, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, summit host Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, and acting President of Iran Mohammad Mokhber and discussed with them a number of issues of mutual interest.

One of the key practical results of the summit in Astana was the admission of Belarus as a full member of the SCO, which previously had observer status in the association. Let us recall that on June 25, at a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Minsk, Alexander Lukashenko said that joining the SCO was “very important for Belarus,” and the participants of this association were “talking as equals.” At the same time, he noted that “everyone who is tired of American hegemony looks at this structure with respect.” Now Belarus will, along with other SCO member countries – India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – participate in the work of the association and, of course, will make a significant contribution to its activities.

Here it must be said that on the eve of the summit, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev gave an interview to the Chinese Xinhua agency, in which he noted that “the SCO should not remain aloof from global processes.” “That is why Kazakhstan proposed to jointly develop the SCO initiative “On World Unity for a Just Peace and Harmony,” Tokayev said.

It should be emphasized that the proposal of the President of Kazakhstan found its practical implementation at the SCO summit in Astana, where its participants addressed the world community with a call for the adoption of a “new security paradigm.” In this regard, it is no coincidence that the final document of the summit – the Astana Declaration – speaks of the need to “improve the SCO mechanisms in the field of security, to prevent any manifestations of terrorism and extremism, as well as activities contrary to the principles of state sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

In addition to the Astana Declaration, the heads of the SCO member states signed 25 more documents that determined the paths for the strategic development of the association until 2035.

Without a doubt, the SCO 2024 summit has become an important milestone in strengthening Eurasian unity in the face of growing alarming trends in the world. It is also obvious that the influence and international authority of the SCO is growing every year. It is no coincidence that many experts believe that today it is this association, together with BRICS, that acts as a kind of counterbalance to the collective West represented by the G7 and NATO in a difficult period when the world is moving from unipolarity to multipolarity. By the way, Vladimir Putin also spoke about this in his speech at the 24th meeting of the Council of Heads of SCO Member States in Astana: “The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, along with BRICS, are the main pillars of the emerging new world order. It is these associations that act as a powerful locomotive for the processes of global development and the establishment of true multipolarity.”

In his speech, the Russian leader also recalled Russia’s proposal to create a new architecture of cooperation, indivisible security and development in Eurasia. It, he said, must replace the “outdated Eurocentric and Euro-Atlantic models” that have led to crises around the world. “The multipolar world has become a reality. The circle of states that advocate a fair world order and are ready to resolutely defend their legitimate rights and defend traditional values ​​is expanding. New centers of power and economic growth are being strengthened,” Vladimir Putin emphasized.

It must be assumed that the SCO is becoming such a new center of power and economic growth, which, according to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, “stands on the right side of history, on the side of justice and impartiality, and is extremely important for the world.”