Published on: 2026-06-23
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –
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On June 15, 2026, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) celebrated its 25th anniversary. Over a quarter of a century, the organization has evolved from a regional mechanism for building trust in Eurasia into a stable multilateral structure, playing a significant role in the architecture of regional security and economic interaction.
The formation of the SCO became the result of the transformation of the post-Soviet space and the entire system of Eurasian relations in the 1990s. After the collapse of the USSR, the task of the regional states was to build stable and predictable mechanisms of interaction across the extensive border. In 1996, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan formed the format of the “Shanghai Five,” aimed at strengthening trust in the border area and reducing military tension.Confidence-building and mutual reduction agreements of armed forces have created a practical basis for the gradual institutionalization of cooperation.
By the early 2000s, it became clear that an exclusively border agenda did not cover the entire spectrum of common challenges. The growth of transnational threats, increased economic interdependence, and the expansion of regional contacts required a transition to a more comprehensive format of interaction. This led to the creation on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai of an organization for cooperation among six states: China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
At the core of the SCO’s activities was established the so-called “Shanghai spirit” — a set of principles including mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, mutual consultations, respect for cultural diversity, and the aspiration for joint development. This became a key institutional feature of the organization, ensuring its stability despite the participants’ high political and economic heterogeneity.
The institutional establishment of the SCO was completed in 2002 with the adoption of the Charter, which defined its goals, structure, and mechanisms of interaction. The document recorded a wide range of directions — from ensuring regional security to the development of economic, scientific-technical, and humanitarian cooperation. At the same time, the principle of consensus was enshrined, which established a decision-making model excluding the dominance of individual participants.
The priority direction from the moment of its foundation remains security. In response to the growth of threats of terrorism, extremism, and separatism in 2004, a Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) of the SCO was created in Tashkent. It became a permanent coordination mechanism that provides the exchange of operational information, coordination of approaches, and conduct of joint activities in the field of security.
The organization gradually expanded its agenda beyond the security component. Economic interaction became one of the key elements of SCO development. Member states have significant resource, industrial, and transit capabilities, which objectively enhances the importance of transport connectivity, logistical corridors, and coordination of economic strategies.
At the present stage, the SCO is considered as one of the elements of the emerging Eurasian system of connections, in which the role of regional growth centers is strengthened. In this context, projects in the fields of infrastructure, energy, and digital economy, as well as issues of coordinating national development strategies, acquire special significance.
A significant factor in the evolution of the organization was its expansion. In 2017, India and Pakistan joined the SCO, which gave the organization a broader geographical and political scale. In 2023, Iran became a member, and in 2024 — Belarus. Thus, the SCO has formed as an association of ten states covering a large part of Eurasia and representing different models of economic and political development. At the same time, a network of partnerships is developing — observer institutions and dialogue partners expand the organization’s external connections and strengthen its role as a platform for interregional interaction.
In recent years, the SCO agenda has shifted towards comprehensive development. Alongside security and the economy, digital transformation, innovation, energy sustainability, and humanitarian cooperation are gaining increasing importance. This reflects a transition from a primarily political-military format to a more multilayered model of interaction. The SCO holds particular significance for Central Asia, where key transport routes and the strategic interests of major powers intersect.For countries of the region, the organization serves as an important tool for diversifying foreign economic ties and strengthening regional stability.
Over 25 years, the SCO has developed a sustainable model of multilateral cooperation based on sovereign equality, consensus, and the rejection of confrontational logic. This model has allowed states with different political systems and levels of development to unite within a functioning and expanding institution. Today, the SCO represents one of the significant centers of Eurasian interaction, where coordinated approaches to issues of security, development, and economic coordination are formed.Its evolution reflects a broader process of transformation of the international system towards multipolarity and strengthening the role of regional organizations.
Author: Anushervon Rasulov
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