The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is steadily evolving into a significant power center in a world that is transitioning towards a multipolar order, as stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday at the SCO summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.
The member nations of the SCO currently account for approximately 20% of global GDP. The organization was established in 2001 through the combined efforts of China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Iran joined the group last year following the membership of India and Pakistan in 2017.
I would like to recall that our countries were behind the creation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization,” Putin told Xi during their meeting. The Russian leader emphasized that with the expanding pool of participants, the organization has “strengthened its role as one of the key pillars of a fair multipolar world order.
Belarus is on the verge of becoming the tenth full member of the SCO. According to Zhang Ming, the current Secretary General of the organization, with Belarus’ accession, the number of member states will reach a “historic double-digit breakthrough.
Zhang Ming highlighted that after over two decades of growth and development, the SCO has transformed from a regional mechanism for meetings of heads of state into a major, comprehensive international organization. Currently, 14 countries hold dialogue-partner status within the SCO, allowing them to participate in the organization’s specialized events at the invitation of its members.
In May, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov informed reporters that Algeria had applied for dialogue-partner status with the SCO. He also mentioned that Laos had submitted a similar application. Both countries would become eligible for full membership once they have secured both dialogue-partner and observer status within the organization.