Shanghai Cooperation Organisation: New Standards and New Horizons.

Byline: Farhat Asif

As the autumn is setting in across the world, a new spring has been observed during the recent meeting of the second most influential tier of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) i.e. Heads of the Governments Council of the member countries held recently in beautiful city of Dushanbe. This meeting was scheduled after Heads of the State meeting of the SCO members held in Qingdao, in People's Republic of China during the mid summer this year.

The agenda for the meeting was trade and economic cooperation, developing solutions to the emerging challenges as well as humanitarian cooperation and cultural promotion. Chinese PM Li Keqiang, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Kazakh PM Bakitjan Sagintayev, Kyrgyz PM Muhammetkali Abilgaziyev, Uzbek PM Abdulla Aripov, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Pakistani Minister of Foreign Affairs Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Belarusian PM Syarhey Rumas, SCO Secretary-General Rashid Olimov, Director of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure Yevgeni Sysoyev as well representatives of Iran and Mongolia and others arrived in Tajikistan to attend this 17th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government.

Apart from the discussions, the joint communique issue at the end of the Summit highlighted the urge for a collective peace, cooperation while addressing the concerns of the new emerging circumstances of the global economy and regional threats of terrorism and instability. Established in 2001, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has now eight full member states, Russian, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, India, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan while Afghanistan, Iran, Belarus and Mongolia are observer states.

Another category of states are "dialogue partners" and this includes Cambodia, Srilanka, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Armenia while ASEAN, CIS and Turkmenistan are the guest attendees. Having 20 % of the world's GDP, 75% of world's energy resources and covering 42 % of the world populations with four declared nuclear powers, SCO is growing its influence in the world.

Apart from having primary focus on security, the SCO has exceptional potential for deeper economic opportunities between member states. While looking at the overall structure of the organization, it is important to note that Heads of State Council is the supreme decision making body of the SCO and meet once in a year while the Heads of Government meet...

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