While the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Heads of Government meeting was held in Pakistan, experts stated that the organization provides and will continue to provide an environment to pursue stability and development for the states which have Eurasia’s benefits and security concerns in common. Moreover, it highlighted the platform will become more and more valuable throughout this period of profound changes that world is experiencing.
Li Qiang, Prime Minister of People’s Republic of China arrived Islamabad, Pakistan on monday to participate the 23rd Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the SCO Member States. [i] According to the news of Xinhua, the prime minister stated that he is looking forward to work with all actors of the union in an integrity to forward “Shanghai Spirit” further, applying responsibilities of Astana Peace Process, deepenging cooperation in various fields and contribute to regional peace, stability and development more to stimulate concert in SCO.[ii]
As a new multipolar world order emerges, it can be said that the mutual economic and political stability of states is an important factor which is ensured by international organizations. As a matter of fact, in the past, organizations took charge of mediator and unifying role in favour of maintenance of the peace and prevention of conflict led destructions. However, affection of political regimes over organization’s structure is taken into account.
Especially North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and UN (United Nations), the organizations were established to ensure security and justice couldn’t offer a clear solution vis-à-vis ongoing conflicts worldwide which have the capacity to trigger the World War Three and caused despair and shook the trust on international instititutions. In contrast, other alternative organizations have non-Western roots is maintaining to widen cooperations in many fields and acting a construcitve attitude.
It is a clear situation of UN which has the mission of “promoting world peace and justice” faces problems in providing humanitarian support to Gaza and Lebanon, therefore has not the ability to actualize its function. In concern, an increase in participation to organizations like SCO which assure equal representation of prosperity and seccurity of its members besides ensuring this without concerning the conditions has been observed to stand out.
According to experts, today’s circumstances, when Ukraine crisis and conflicts in Middle East lead to tragedies world has major problems and some US-led international organizations like NATO consolidate conflicts between the several countries and blocks that states had created.
For this reason, SCO which is rejecting block-building, rather, calling for cooperation and peace is though to have a more important role.[iii] Additionally, SCO, as different from West-centred organizations, is not just remained to prefer following constructivist policies instead of intervene to domestic affairs of member states (states’ own diverse tendencies in ideological, social and economic fields) so set an allignment against threats, also follow constructive policies became an alternative route vis-à-vis West hegemony.
Alongside the subjects held in SCO meeting, like guides for cooperation, steps strengthening strategical communication, incentives in accordance with establishment of the “SCO Development Bank” to facilitate trade and investment pave the way for steps which will enable the actualization of regional development in a stabilized way besides its uniting nature increasing the common actions among member states and will unifiy the diverse countries under one “Shanghai Spirit” roof.
India Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, went to Pakistan on tuesday for the meeting of SCO governments almost after a decade for the first time.[iv] Although the tensions happening between the two countries from time to time, particularly “Kashmire”, at this point, the concrete example of SCO’s constructive role in international relations has came forward. SCO meeting is highlightining the unity/solidarity sense in critical fields like regional security, economic cooperation and has the characteristic of being an important diplomatic activity which ensures Pakistan- India bilateral relationship to gain a new momentum.
China’s Pakistan Ambassador Jiang Zaidong emphasized that Beijing is ready to empower cooperation in fields like politics, security, economics and culture, courage for constructing the SCO community which has a common future and based on a tighter cooperation, and grow Global South and have new contributions for the region countries’ prosperity. [v] In this respect, it is right to say SCO is focusing on several subjects besides security collaborations, became more and more developed, finally a worldwide role model organisation from the perspective of Global South countries. Additionally, the SCO total population of member states that the organization represents itself has the almost half of the total world population. This situation can be evaluated as an indicator to show SCO has an important role in emergence of the multipolar world system,
As SCO had not established neither to oppose nor target anyone, so doesn’t operate in favour of small environments’ benefits. Fundamental intention and tenet is setting a dialogue in regard to “one world, one family and one future”[vi] So that, institution the institution affected its members’ bilateral relationship in a positive manner, adopted a more pragmatist approach, carried out activities on the basis of mutual trust and emphasized that strengthening the connectivity between the regions has a critical importance in order to prevent threats like terrorism. In this meeting, the SCO’s aspect, which is built on powerful political and economic bonds, has also come to the forefront.
In conclusion, in this meeting where the importance of the decisions resulted at the SCO’s Astana Summit in July were emphasized, a unity message was wanted to be given to the world, at the same time, and the essence of consensus was highlighted as the basis of routes in accordance with improvement of SCO. SCO is differed from many other instititons to courage security and stability while courage development of its member states at the same time. Although the problems stem from existence of countries with different structures and member states’ own intrastate challanges member states face, SCO found a way for consensus. Moreover, it is possible to say that institution will benefit from China’s power and pioneering which has a more and more increasing effect over economical and political fields, and to do so, will follow more contemporary and innovative methods in its policies to be implemented and projects of cooperation.
[i] “Li’s visit sees progress in BRI” China Daily, https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202410/15/WS670dae0ea310f1265a1c78fa.html, (Date of Accession: 17.10.2024).
[ii] Ibid.
[iii] Ibid.
[iv] “Indian minister in Pakistan on rare visit, for Shanghai Cooperation forum” APA, https://en.apa.az/asia/indian-minister-in-pakistan-on-rare-visit-for-shanghai-cooperation-forum-451116, (Date of Accession: 16.10.2024).
[v] “As ‘beacon of multilateralism,’ what has Shanghai Cooperation Organisation done right: Global Times editorial” Global Times, https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202410/1321331.shtml, (Date of Accession: 17.10.2024).
[vi] “As ‘beacon of multilateralism,’ what has Shanghai Cooperation Organisation done right: Global Times editorial” Global Times, https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202410/1321331.shtml, (Date of Accession: 17.10.2024).
