SCO Summit: From Astana to Tianjin

A substantial package of documents

In July last year, Kazakhstan hosted the 24^th SCO summit under the theme “Strengthening Multilateral Dialogue — Striving for Sustainable Peace and Prosperity.” As part of the country’s rotating chairmanship, more than 140 events were organized in various fields.

The meeting of the Council of Heads of SCO Member States adopted the “Astana Declaration” and signed a solid package of 25 documents. In the final document, SCO member states highlighted Kazakhstan’s proposals to establish in Almaty a UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan, an International Agency for Biological Security, and an SCO Investment Fund.

Member states also noted Kazakhstan’s project “Spiritual Shrines of SCO Countries” and its initiative to create an International Coalition on Primary Health Care.

Among the signed documents was the decision of the SCO Council of Heads of State on the draft Strategy for the Development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization until 2035. The Strategy is expected to be adopted at the upcoming summit in Tianjin.

SCO membership expanded

An important outcome of the Astana summit was the official admission of the Republic of Belarus as a full member of the Organization. With its accession, SCO membership expanded to 10 states. Earlier, Iran (2023), India, and Pakistan (2017) also joined the Organization.

The first “SCO Plus” held

Another historic event of the Astana SCO summit was the first-ever meeting in the “SCO Plus” format with the participation of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, as well as a number of invited heads of state and leaders of regional international organizations.

In his comments, UN Secretary-General António Guterres highly praised Kazakhstan’s role in the activities of the SCO and the UN, as well as in promoting peace and stability.

“Kazakhstan has made a very important investment so that the UN has the proper opportunity to operate here. There are plans for a regional dimension, especially related to the Sustainable Development Goals, and this will depend on the General Assembly, but I am fully prepared to contribute to the implementation of these plans. Kazakhstan is very active in UN bodies. Kazakhstan has played a very important role in all the discussions taking place in preparation for the Summit of the Future, the New Agenda for Peace, the Global Digital Compact, as well as in the creation of a platform on emergencies to respond to the serious consequences of natural disasters, conflicts and pandemics, for which we are still not prepared. I can list many areas where Kazakhstan’s voice in the UN is very important. On the other hand, I think it should be recognized that when Kazakhstan acts in the interests of peace, when Kazakhstan brings together conflicting parties to solve their problems, when Kazakhstan is an honest mediator in international affairs, Kazakhstan becomes an important instrument for achieving UN goals,” the UN Secretary-General stated.

Experts on the Astana summit

Alexander Lukin, Director of the Center for China, East Asia and the SCO at MGIMO Institute for International Studies, noted that Kazakhstan, as one of the key founding members of the Organization, has taken an active position in promoting Eurasian projects.

During its chairmanship, the country proposed a large-scale program covering security, economic initiatives, energy, and cultural exchanges. According to the expert, the implementation of these areas became an important contribution to SCO development.

Turkish international relations analyst Emrah Kaya stressed that Kazakhstan has become a central platform for major international negotiations, including the SCO summit. He noted that the meeting In Astana contributed to strengthening dialogue and peace.

“We see that Kazakhstan actively participated in addressing issues of world politics,” the expert said.

Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Institute for Foreign Policy Studies under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Amandkeldy Tazhenov pointed out that during Kazakhstan’s chairmanship significant work was carried out. According to him, it was not only about development, but also about reforming the Organization.

“As new members joined the SCO, Kazakhstan, as chair, conducted balanced and painstaking work with them. The fact that the new member states took part in the summit and demonstrated the ability to reach agreements was largely the result of Kazakhstan’s chairmanship,” he emphasized.

Tianjin SCO summit

The 25^th anniversary SCO summit will be held from August 31 to September 1 in the Chinese city of Tianjin under the slogan “Promoting the Shanghai Spirit: SCO in Action.”

As part of its rotating chairmanship, China held more than 100 meetings and events under the SCO. The upcoming meeting of the Council of Heads of State will be chaired by President of China Xi Jinping.

At a briefing on August 22, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of China Liu Bin said that the meeting will be the largest in the Organization’s history and will take place both in the traditional format and in the expanded “SCO Plus” format, with the participation of observer states, dialogue partners, and heads of international organizations.

“The most important outcomes of the summit will be the adoption of the ‘Tianjin Declaration’ and the approval of the ‘SCO Development Strategy until 2035,’ which have already been agreed at the level of foreign ministers. The program also includes an official reception hosted by Xi Jinping for the leaders of the member states and bilateral meetings,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry representative noted.

In total, the participation of heads of more than 20 states and leaders of 10 international organizations is expected.

As reported previously, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan arrived in Tianjin, China, to attend the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).