Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
Background
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a Eurasian intergovernmental organization focused on political, economic, security, and counter-terrorism cooperation among its member states. Its membership includes ten countries and gives it a broad regional reach across much of Eurasia, making it the world’s largest regional organization by geographic area and population. The SCO’s mandate covers coordination on regional stability, economic ties, and security-related issues, and it is especially associated with cooperation against terrorism, separatism, extremism, and transnational threats. Its scale and membership make it an important forum for dialogue on regional affairs and cross-border policy coordination.
The organization is governed by the Heads of State Council, which serves as its supreme decision-making body and meets annually to set overall priorities. It also includes the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, known as RATS, which supports the organization’s security agenda. The SCO is not part of the Russian state apparatus or economy, but Russia is one of its member states and takes part in its decision-making and activity through normal intergovernmental channels. In Russian foreign policy practice, the SCO functions as one of the main multilateral platforms for engagement with neighboring Eurasian states on security and regional cooperation.
The SCO emerged from the Shanghai Five, created in 1996 by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan, and was formally announced in June 2001 when Uzbekistan joined the new framework in Shanghai. It expanded further over time, with India and Pakistan joining in 2017, Iran in 2023, and Belarus in 2024. The organization has continued to broaden its functional agenda beyond security to include economic and institutional cooperation, while also maintaining a role in anti-terrorism and other practical multilateral initiatives. Recent Russian references to the SCO have highlighted its role in de-escalation efforts, anti-narcotics cooperation, and coordination on regional crises, including discussions involving Russia and India on the Iran situation.
Timeline
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s efforts toward de-escalation and a sustainable settlement on the Iran situation were backed by the Russian and Indian foreign ministers.
On the Telephone Conversation Between Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov and Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India S. JaishankarThe SCO launched a new Anti-Narcotics Center in Dushanbe.
Press Release: Participation of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia D.E. Lubinsky in the UNODC-SCO Thematic Side Event at the 69th Session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs
Documents
Press Release: Participation of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia D.E. Lubinsky in the UNODC-SCO Thematic Side Event at the 69th Session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Lubinsky represented Moscow at a UNODC-SCO anti-narcotics event, highlighting the new SCO Anti-Narcotics Center in Dushanbe and Russia's commitment to international drug control.
On the Telephone Conversation Between Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov and Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India S. Jaishankar
Lavrov and Indian FM Jaishankar discussed the Iran situation in a phone call, backing SCO and BRICS efforts toward de-escalation and a sustainable settlement.
Meeting of the Supreme State Council of the Union State
Putin and Lukashenko held the Supreme State Council of the Union State in Moscow, signing a package of documents including directives on mutual legal protection, cross-border rail links, and a new Standardisation and Quality Committee, marking 30 years of Russian-Belarusian integration.