Shanghai Cooperation Organization at 25 in a Multipolar World

The multipolar world has closely watched the importance of SCO’s 26th meeting of the Council of Heads of State, as it marked the “25 Years of the SCO: Together for Sustainable Peace, Development and Prosperity.”

The 26th Council of Heads of State of the SCO meeting, which took place in Bishkek from August 31 to September 1, had a significance far beyond traditional ceremonial diplomacy. It was held to observe the organisation’s 25th anniversary; the summit was chaired by the Kyrgyz politician Sadyr Japarov. It was under the theme, “25 Years of the SCO: Together for Sustainable Peace, Development, and Prosperity.” There, 28 documents, including the Bishkek Declaration, focusing on security, trade, connectivity, technology, energy, and institutional matters, were adopted. Kyrgyzstan also transferred the chairmanship to Pakistan for the terms of 2026 and 2027. While it is important to note the documents signed, the significance of Bishkek lies primarily in the significance of the SCO’s evolution of the changing international order.

Created in 2001 by Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, the SCO was quite focused on regional security and confidence building. After twenty-five years, the organization has added India, Pakistan, Iran, and Belarus, extending its geographical reach to include some of Eurasia’s most important political, demographic, economic, and energy spaces.

The Russian President Vladimir Putin at SCO

The Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered the most important address at the event. President Putin described the SCO as an “independent and influential centre of the emerging multipolar world.” He described the SCO member states as comprising half of the world’s population and an even greater proportion of the world’s GDP. While there may be a plethora of policies concerning........

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