DUSHANBE, June 15, Asia-Plus — The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organization, which was founded on June 15, 2001 by the leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Except for
Uzbekistan
, the other countries had been members of the Shanghai Five; after the inclusion of
Uzbekistan
in 2001, the members renamed the organization.
Russian media report a ceremonial reception dedicated to this date is being held in
Yekaterinburg
,
Russia
, today.
Representatives from executive and legislative powers of the
Sverdlovsk
region, representatives from diplomatic missions accredited in Yekaterinburg and artistes have been invited to the reception.
The Shanghai Five grouping was originally created
April 26, 1996
with the signing of the Treaty on Deepening Military Trust in Border Regions in
Shanghai
by the heads of states of
Kazakhstan
, the People”s Republic of
China
,
Kyrgyzstan
,
Russia
and
Tajikistan
.
April 24, 1997
the same countries signed the Treaty on Reduction of Military Forces in Border Regions in a meeting in
Moscow
.
Subsequent annual summits of the Shanghai Five group occurred in Almaty (
Kazakhstan
) in 1998, in Bishkek (
Kyrgyzstan
) in 1999, and in
Dushanbe
(
Tajikistan
) in 2000.
In 2001, the annual summit returned to
Shanghai
,
China
.
There the five member nations first admitted
Uzbekistan
in the Shanghai Five mechanism (thus transforming it into the Shanghai Six). Then all six heads of state signed on
June 15
, 2001
, the Declaration of Shanghai Cooperation Organization, praising the role played thus far by the Shanghai Five mechanism and aiming to transform it to a higher level of cooperation. In July 2001,
Russia
and the PRC, the organization’s two leading nations, signed the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation.
In June 2002, the heads of the SCO member states met in
St. Petersburg
,
Russia
.
There they signed the SCO Charter which expounded on the organization’s purposes, principles, structures and form of operation, and established it officially from the point of view of international law.
The SCO is primarily centered around its member nations” Central Asian security-related concerns, often describing the main threats it confronts as being terrorism, separatism and extremism.
At the
June 16-17 2004
SCO summit, held in
Tashkent
,
Uzbekistan
, the Regional Antiterrorism Structure (RATS) was established.
On
April 21, 2006
, the SCO announced plans to fight cross-border drug crimes under the counter-terrorism rubric.
There have been a number of SCO joint military exercises.
A Framework Agreement to enhance economic cooperation was signed by the SCO member states on
September 23 2003
.
At the same meeting
China
’s Wen Jiabao proposed a long-term objective to establish a free trade area
in the SCO, while other more immediate measures would be taken to improve the flow of goods in the region.
A follow up plan with 100 specific actions was signed one year later, on
September 23, 2004
.
On
October 26, 2005
, the Moscow Summit of the SCO, the Secretary General of the Organization said that the SCO will prioritize joint energy projects; such will include the oil and gas sector, the exploration of new hydrocarbon reserves, and joint use of water resources. The creation of an Inter-bank SCO Council was also agreed upon at that summit in order to fund future joint projects. The first meeting of the SCO Interbank Association was held in
Beijing
on
February 21-22 2006
. On
November 30, 2006
, at The SCO: Results and Perspectives, an international conference held in Almaty
, the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that
Russia
is developing plans for an SCO “Energy Club”.
Cultural cooperation also occurs in the SCO framework. Culture ministers of the SCO met for the first time in
Beijing
on
April 12, 2002
, signing a joint statement for continued cooperation. The third meeting of the Culture Ministers took place in
Tashkent
,
Uzbekistan
, on 27-28 April 2006.
An SCO Arts Festival and Exhibition was held for the first time during the Astana Summit in 2005.
The second Arts Festival and Exhibition took place in
Shanghai
in June 2006.
Kazakhstan
has also suggested an SCO folk dance festival to take place in 2008, in Astana.
The next SCO summit will be held in Bishkek on
August 16, 2007
.
The summit is expected to outline the priorities and main directions of further partnership between member nations of the Organization.
