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SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION SUMMIT IN YEKATERINBURG
KONSTANTIN SYROEZHKIN,
Political scientist, chief research fellow of Kazakh Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of Kazakhstan, Almaty
Eurasian Home: “How would you assess the SCO summit results in terms of its agenda? Were any new issues examined during the Yekaterinburg summit (for example, those of economic cooperation in the situation of the economic crisis)? In other words, is it possible to say that the SCO evolves successfully according to the global processes?”
The SCO tries to adequately react to the world processes, which the Yekaterinburg summit has shown.
Firstly, the main subject of the summit was the financial and economic crisis and the ways to minimize its negative consequences for the SCO member states. The summit also discussed the necessity to reform the world financial system, the introduction of supranational currency in the SCO and the proposal to increase the national currency settlement share among the SCO member states. This proposal seems to be the most executable of all the subjects.
Implementation of joint economic projects, for which China has allocated $10 billion, is a decisive step. It is high time to implement joint projects in the economic sphere, which will positively influence the SCO image.
Secondly, the issue of the SCO expansion was examined at the summit. It looks like the fears over Iran’s becoming the SCO full-fledged member state are overcome, and in 2010 this issue will be solved.
Thirdly, Pakistan’s question was included in the subject matter of the Afghan issue solution. On the one hand, this is a kind of reverent gesture towards the USA, on the other hand, this is the understanding of the reality – Pakistan and Afghanistan’s problems can be solved only together.
Finally, the traditional security issues were settled. The SCO Concept against terrorism and the Regulations on political and diplomatic measures and mechanisms of the SCO reactions to the situations threatening the peace, security and stability in the region were adopted.
Eurasian Home: “Why do the Central Asian countries and, above all, Kazakhstan regard their SCO membership as useful? What do the Central Asian countries including Kazakhstan expect from the SCO?”
Firstly, for the time being the SCO is active only in Central Asia. The problems raised by the SCO directly concern us.
Secondly, the SCO is a floor making it possible to smooth over the growing competition between China and Russia in our region, therefore the question “who do you side with?” is not fundamental and we can diversify the areas of economic cooperation.
Thirdly, the SCO is the floor enabling the region’s leaders to voice their important proposals and they can be considered.
This is economic cooperation and the SCO investments (in the future), although in reality the SCO availability powerfully influences the relations between the Central Asian countries and China.
Eurasian Home: “Is it possible to say that the SCO can be widened in the former Soviet Union, for example, at the expense of Belarus, Armenia and other countries’ joining the Organization?”
At first, it is necessary to finally set the SCO mission and geography of its activities. I believe that there is no point in speaking about new members’ joining the SCO until the afore-mentioned issues are solved.
June 23, 2009
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