S.C.O. Thread:

No plans to turn Shanghai Cooperation Organization into military bloc — Russian diplomat

New Members May Join Shanghai Cooperation Organization in July - Lavrov

During the upcoming summit in Russia, the SCO will review the membership applications of India, Pakistan, Iran and other countries.

Payments in National Currencies Within SCO Could Curb Speculator Activity
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – A political decision to expand the Shanghai Cooperation Organization with new members joining may take place during the next summit in July, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.

“We are preparing for the summit in Ufa (Russia). During this summit we will discuss issues of its further intensification, the further concretization of cooperative projects within the SCO, and we will review the issue of expanding the organization,” Lavrov said at the Diplomatic Academy in Moscow.

Lavrov said the criteria for adding new members to the SCO were approved during the summit in 2014.

“We will review the applications from a wide range of countries during the summit in Ufa, including India, Pakistan, and Iran,” Lavrov said.

The SCO comprises such member states as Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Observer status has been granted to Mongolia, India, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/politics/20150227/1018831973.html#ixzz3SwFGUcbx

Russia to strive for India’s full-fledged SCO membership — parliament speaker

He reminded that India currently holds an observer status in Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)

NEW DELHI, February 27. /TASS/. Russia will do its best for India to become a full-fledged member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the speaker of the lower house of the Russian parliament, the State Duma, Sergey Naryshkin said on Friday, while on an official visit to New Delhi.

"Russia will take all necessary steps to comply with India’s application for full membership during the organization’s summit in Bashkortostan in July", the lawmaker said.

He reminded that India currently holds an observer status in SCO.

Russia to chair Beijing meet of regional security bloc SCO



Participants, including Russian President Vladimir Putin (6th from right), Chinese President Xi Jinping (7th from left, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (4th from right) at the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting on 12 September 2014 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan [PPIO]

Participants, including Russian President Vladimir Putin (6th from right), Chinese President Xi Jinping (7th from left, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (4th from right) at the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting on 12 September 2014 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan [PPIO]
Russia will chair a meet of the SCO, a China-Russia-led security bloc, that opens in Beijing on Tuesday.

The council of national coordinators of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation will hold a Beijing meet from March 10-13, ahead of this year’s annual summit, said an official statement on Monday.

Both China and Russia have invested heavily in the resource-rich region of Central Asia.

Alexander Yakovenko, Russian envoy to the UK, has said “the SCO Business Council, Interbank Consortium, and Energy Club are at the forefront of expanding practical cooperation among member states”.

China, Russia and four Central Asian nations – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – formed the SCO in 2001 as a regional security bloc to fight threats posed by terrorism and drug trafficking from neighboring Afghanistan.

Cooperation between China and Russia on Afghanistan has been growing since 2013 and could become a major factor for Afghan leadership following a US withdrawal.

As the US and EU step up pressure on Moscow with threats of new rounds of sanctions, Russia is seeking to strengthen ties with allies in the region, predominantly the BRICS and SCO members.

Observer states at the SCO are Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia, and Pakistan. Belarus, Turkey and Sri Lanka have a status of partners in dialogue.

Kremlin spokesperson Yuri Ushakov has indicated last year that India and Pakistan could be granted full-fledged membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization at its next summit in Russia’s Ufa in July 2015.

The next SCO summit will be held in Russia’s city of Ufa on July 9-10, 2015 along with the 7th BRICS Summit.

Russia has taken over presidency of the SCO in September 2014. Moscow has vowed to use its presidency of the SCO to advocate for coordinated steps on the economy, financial sector, energy, and food security.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping said last year that members of the SCO share identical views on economic and political cooperation, including the Ukraine crisis and subsequent sanctions.

“At the meeting in narrow format we discussed some other current international affairs too, including the situation in Ukraine. We are very pleased to see that we share identical or similar views on the main areas of cooperation. This consensus of views is reflected in the Dushanbe Declaration that we are adopting,” said Putin.

Shanghai bloc expansion is on agenda, says SCO secretary general

According to Dmitry Mezentsev, admission of new countries "is certainly a major factor for the strengthening of CSO’s international standing"

KHANTY-MANSIYSK, March 11./TASS/. The process to establish the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has been completed, its expansion coming to the forefront, the secretary general of the six-nation bloc told its tenth forum on Wednesday.

Admission of new countries "is certainly a major factor for the strengthening of CSO’s international standing," Dmitry Mezentsev said. This would give the bloc more weight "in participation in the settlement of issues on the international agenda, in its positioning in the region" he added.

"We are well aware that the enlargement process is rather lengthy, as each applicant will have to join 28 basis documents," he said, noting that SCO’s expansion was very topical and would be discussed at the forum.

A next summit of the SCO is due in the Russian city of Ufa, Bashkiria, in July.

The SCO was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Tehran Membership in SCO to Boost Iran Economic Ties With Asia

Former Head of Iran’s National Security Council Seyed Hossein Mousavian said Iran's potential membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) would bring Tehran closer to its neighbors in Asia.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Iran’s membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) would benefit its economic relations with partners throughout Asia, former Head of Iran’s National Security Council Seyed Hossein Mousavian said on Wednesday.

“This would help bring more impact on Iran’s economic relations with Asia,” Mousavian said about Tehran’s possible SCO membership in a conference at National Council on US-Arab Relations.

On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov raised the possibility of Iran’s full accession into the SCO if the ongoing P5+1 nuclear negotiations result in a successful deal with Iran.

Mousavian explained that Iran is “already participating in our Shanghai high-level meetings.”

If the members of the organization accept Tehran, “it will create more opportunities for Asian cooperation,” the former Iranian government official emphasized.

On Monday, Foreign Minister Lavrov stated that the perspective for Iran joining the SCO if a nuclear agreement is reached were “good.”

The SCO is a Eurasian political, economic and military alliance founded in 2001, currently comprising Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Iran currently has observer status in the organization.

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Iran’s top leaders to take part in SCO summit in Russia — ambassador

UFA, May 22. /TASS/. Iran’s top leaders will take part in a Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) summit in Ufa on July 9-10, Iran’s Ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanaei said on Friday.
"Iran will take part at a top level," he said. "However, it is not yet known who will take part."
The Iranian diplomat praised Ufa for good preparations for the forthcoming forums. "The city is seriously developing," he noted.

Russia’s and Iran’s leaders, according to the Iranian diplomat, "have very good communication." They have had a number of meetings and telephone conversations, he noted.
"Relations between our regions have been given a serious impetus in the recent years," Sanaei said. "In 2014, eight Russian governors visited Iran, our governors visited Russia. The program for 2015 includes a visit by top officials of Russia’s Chelyabinsk region, the cities of St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg. In general, relations between our countries are expanding," he said.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a regional international association that was set up on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai, China. Its top priority areas of activities are joint anti-terrorism and anti-extremism efforts, cooperation in the energy, oil and gas, transport, telecommunications and other sectors.

Currently, members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization are Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Mongolia, India, Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan enjoy the observer status. In September 2014, Pakistan and India officially applied for full-fledged membership in the organization. Iran also seeks such membership. Belarus, Sri Lanka and Turkey have a status of a dialogue partner.

Aggregate population of the SCO member countries stands at 1.597 billion (a fourth of the entire global population). Aggregate GDP is $11.6 trillion.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the SCO summit in Ufa would adopt a political decision on the organization’s expansion. The leaders would consider the applications from a number of countries, including India and Pakistan. Iran has also applied to membership. "I hope the progress reached in the settlement of the Iranian nuclear programme will help consider its application," Lavrov said.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization FMs to Meet in Moscow on June 3

Twelve countries interested in work of Shanghai Cooperation Organization — Putin

The Russian president said the organization is "gaining more weight"

MOSCOW, June 3. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Wednesday that SCO is developing rather successfully, gaining more weight.

"Our organization is developing quite successfully. Interest in the work of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has been shown by 12 countries, besides today’s members of the organization," Putin said.

He said there is an agreement to consider the issue on the admission of India and Pakistan to SCO. "Other countries would also like to strengthen our contacts with our organization and this is logical, because it is gaining more and more weight and more significance," said the Russian leader.

The president said that this happens because SCO addresses most vital issues for the region’s countries: security, combating terrorism and the drug threat and organized crime. "Certainly, there are also issues related to the development of our states’ economies," Putin said.

He welcomed the SCO countries’ foreign ministers in the Russian capital, saying that their meeting, in essence, is completing the major preparatory work for the organization’s summit due in Ufa (capital of the Bashkortostan republic in the Volga region) in July.

"I hope that a number of issues that have been prepared both within the framework of your departments and other ministries will be coordinated by your and submitted to the heads of state for consideration and approval," the Russian leader told the ministers.

He also said that thus the current SCO Council of Foreign Ministers is a key event within the framework of the summit preparation.

The organization brings together Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan have observer status, while Belarus, Turkey and Sri Lanka are dialogue partners.

Lavrov urges SCO role in fight against Islamic State in Afghanistan

Kabul hopes its SCO status will be upgraded to full-fledged membership, says diplomat

"We are ready to boost ties with the SCO," Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani confirmed
Afghan and Russian Foreign Ministers Salahuddin Rabbani and Sergei Lavrov at the Moscow session of SCO Foreign Ministers Council

MOSCOW, June 4. /TASS/. Afghanistan hopes to see its status in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation upgraded from that of observer to a full-fledged membership, Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani told a high-level conference on security and stability in the SCO region.

"We are ready to boost ties with the SCO," he confirmed. "We believe that being a member country of the organization we will be able to more actively contribute to the implementation of SCO’s goals," the foreign minister said.

Russia says decision on Pakistan’s accession to SCO to be made July 8-9

Process of India’s, Pakistan’s accession to SCO likely to be launched in Ufa

The SCO secretary general recalled that "the country bidding for full-fledged membership should meet the requirements prescribed in all documents of the organisation, including in the SCO Charters"

ST PETERSBURG, June 17. /TASS/. A process of India’s and Pakistan’s accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) will be officially launched at the SCO summit due to be held in the Russian city of Ufa in July, SCO Secretary General Dmitry Mezentsev told reporters at a meeting of the SCO Business Council board in St. Petersburg on Wednesday.

"I believe the process will kick-start in Ufa," Mezentsev said. "First, a meeting of the foreign ministers’ council took place in Moscow following very professional consecutive work at the floor of national coordinators and at this stage a draft agenda of the summit is presented, where this issue had been put on."

Mezentsev said that "bids of India, Iran and Pakistan had been submitted earlier and now these countries are SCO full-fledged observers." India’s latest written bid for membership was "submitted by the country’s president in September last year ahead of the summit of heads of state."

The SCO secretary general recalled that "the country bidding for full-fledged membership should meet the requirements prescribed in all documents of the organisation, including in the SCO Charters."

"But along with this, the country that is granted with the right to join the SCO has to become a signatory under the organisation’s 27 regulations, part of which has a status of national law for SCO member countries."

Mezentsev noted certain restrictions for Iran’s possible accession to the SCO.

"In the SCO legal framework there is a provision that a status of a full-fledged member envisages that the country should comply with a number of regulatory acts, in particular the country should not be under the UN Security Council’s sanctions," he said adding that "It is clear that any country aspiring for the SCO membership should take into consideration a whole package of requirements the SCO demands from its new members."

"But at the same time we suppose that the organisation’s attitude to the bids will be worded at the Ufa summit," the SCO secretary general went on to say. "I can also say that the bids will be accepted with respect and attention."

On June 3 foreign ministers from the SCO member countries held a Council’s meeting chaired by Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov resulting in a joint statement saying that "preparations for the summit of the SCO member countries due to be held in Ufa on July 9-10 were on the table" and that "a decision to launch a procedure of India’s and Pakistan’s accession to the SCO as member countries will be crucially important."

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a permanent regional international association established in Shanghai on June 15, 2001. The SCO announces joint counteraction to terrorism, extremism and the boosting of cooperation in energy, oil and gas, transport, telecommunications and other sectors as its top priority.

Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are the current member countries, with Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan having a status of observers and Belarus, Turkey and Sri Lanka - of dialogue partners.

The SCO population stands at 1.597 billion people, or one fourth of the Earth population, while the aggregate gross domestic product (GDP) amounts to $11.6 trillion.

SCO Members to Sign Defense Ministries' Cooperation Plan for 2016-2017

India's SCO accession begins — Putin

The Russian president called this a very important event

UFA, July 8. /TASS/. The process of India's accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is beginning, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.

Putin said it was "a very important event."

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a permanent regional association founded in Shanghai, China, on June 15, 2001. Its priority tasks include joint counteraction to terrorism and extremism; cooperation in education as well as in the energy, oil and gas, transport, communication and other spheres.

At present, the SCO comprises Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan have an observer status while Belarus, Turkey and Sri Lanka are partners for dialogue.