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“Charter of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO): history and goals of creation - Does everyone understand and recognize this

KR of July 15, 2003 No. 133 St. Petersburg of June 7, 2002 CHARTER of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization The Republic of Kazakhstan, the People's Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan, which are the founding states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization hereinafter referred to as the SCO or the Organization), based on the historically established ties between their peoples; seeking to further deepen all-round cooperation; wishing by joint efforts to contribute to strengthening peace, ensuring security and stability in the region in the context of the development of processes of political multipolarity, economic and information globalization; Convinced that the creation of the SCO contributes to a more effective joint use of emerging opportunities and countering new challenges and threats; believing that interaction within the framework of the SCO contributes to unlocking the enormous potential of good neighborliness, unity and cooperation between states and their peoples; based on the spirit of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, mutual consultation, respect for the diversity of cultures and the desire for common development, established at the meeting of the heads of six states in Shanghai (2001); Noting that compliance with the principles set forth in the Agreement between the Russian Federation, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan and the People's Republic of China on confidence-building in the military field in the border area of 26 April 1996 and in the Agreement between the Russian Federation, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan and the People's Republic of China on the mutual reduction of armed forces in the border area of April 24, 1997, as well as in documents signed during meetings at highest level heads of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People's Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan from 1998 to 2001, made an important contribution to maintaining peace, security and stability in the region and throughout the world; Reaffirming their commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, other universally recognized principles and norms of international law relating to the maintenance international peace, security and development of good neighborly and friendly relations, as well as cooperation between states; Guided by the provisions of the Declaration on the Establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization of June 15, 2001; agreed on the following: Article 1. Goals and objectives The main goals and objectives of the SCO are: strengthening mutual trust, friendship and good neighborliness between member states; development of multidisciplinary cooperation in order to maintain and strengthen peace, security and stability in the region, to promote the construction of a new democratic, just and rational political and economic international order; joint counteraction to terrorism, separatism and extremism in all their manifestations, combating drug and arms trafficking, other types of transnational criminal activity, as well as illegal migration; encouragement of effective regional cooperation in political, trade and economic, defense, law enforcement, environmental protection, cultural, scientific and technical, educational, energy, transport, credit and financial and other areas of common interest; promotion of comprehensive and balanced economic growth, social and cultural development in the region through joint actions based on equal partnership in order to steadily improve the level and improve the living conditions of the peoples of the Member States; coordination of approaches to integration into the world economy; promoting the provision of human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the international obligations of the Member States and their national legislation; maintenance and development of relations with other states and international organizations; cooperation in preventing international conflicts and their peaceful settlement; joint search for solutions to problems that will arise in the 21st century. Article 2. Principles The SCO member states adhere to the following principles: mutual respect for the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity of states and the inviolability of state borders, non-aggression, non-interference in internal affairs, non-use of force or threat of force in international relations, renunciation of unilateral military superiority in adjacent areas ; equality of all member states, search for common points of view based on mutual understanding and respect for the opinions of each of them; step-by-step implementation of joint actions in areas of common interest; peaceful resolution of disagreements between Member States; non-direction of the SCO against other states and international organizations; preventing any illegal actions directed against the interests of the SCO; conscientious fulfillment of the obligations arising from this Charter and other documents adopted within the framework of the SCO. Article 3. Areas of cooperation The main areas of cooperation within the framework of the SCO are: maintaining peace and strengthening security and confidence in the region; search for common points of view on foreign policy issues of common interest, including in international organizations and international forums; development and implementation of measures to jointly counter terrorism, separatism and extremism, drug and arms trafficking, other types of transnational criminal activity, as well as illegal migration; coordination of efforts on disarmament and arms control issues; support and encouragement of regional economic cooperation in various forms, promoting the creation of favorable conditions for trade and investment in order to gradually realize the free movement of goods, capital, services and technologies; effective use existing infrastructure in the field of transport and communications, improvement of the transit potential of the Member States, development energy systems; ensuring rational nature management, including the use of water resources in the region, the implementation of joint special environmental programs and projects; mutual assistance in the prevention emergencies natural and man-made nature and liquidation of their consequences; exchange of legal information in the interests of developing cooperation within the framework of the SCO; expansion of interaction in the field of science and technology, education, healthcare, culture, sports and tourism. The SCO member states may, by mutual agreement, expand the spheres of cooperation. Article 4. Organs 1. To fulfill the purposes and tasks of this Charter, the Organization has the following activities: the Council of Heads of State; Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers); Council of Foreign Ministers; Meetings of heads of ministries and/or departments; Council of National Coordinators; Regional antiterrorist structure; Secretariat. 2. The functions and procedures for the work of the SCO bodies, with the exception of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, are determined by the relevant provisions, which are approved by the Council of Heads of State. 3. The Council of Heads of State may decide to establish other bodies of the SCO. The creation of new bodies is formalized in the form of additional protocols to this Charter, which enter into force in the manner prescribed by Article 21 of this Charter. Article 5. Council of Heads of State The Council of Heads of State is supreme body SCO. It determines the priorities and develops the main directions of the Organization's activities, resolves the fundamental issues of its internal structure and functioning, interaction with other states and international organizations, and also considers the most pressing international problems. The Council meets for regular meetings once a year. The chairmanship at a meeting of the Council of Heads of State shall be carried out by the head of state - the organizer of the next meeting. The venue for the next meeting of the Council is determined, as a rule, in the Russian alphabetical order of the names of the SCO member states. Article 6. Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) The Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) adopts the budget of the Organization, considers and decides on the main issues related to specific, especially economic, areas of development of interaction within the Organization. The Council meets for regular meetings once a year. The meeting of the Council is chaired by the head of government (Prime Minister) of the state in whose territory the meeting is held. The venue of the next meeting of the Council is determined by prior agreement of the heads of government (prime ministers) of the Member States. Article 7. Council of Foreign Ministers The Council of Foreign Ministers considers the current activities of the Organization, the preparation of a meeting of the Council of Heads of State and the holding of consultations within the framework of the Organization on international problems. The Council may, if necessary, make statements on behalf of the SCO. The Council meets, as a rule, one month before the meeting of the Council of Heads of State. Extraordinary meetings of the Council of Foreign Ministers are convened on the initiative of at least two Member States and with the consent of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of all other Member States. The venue of the regular and extraordinary meetings of the Council is determined by mutual agreement. The chairmanship of the Council shall be exercised by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Member State of the Organization on whose territory the regular meeting of the Council of Heads of State is held, for a period starting from the date of completion of the last ordinary meeting of the Council of Heads of State and ending with the date of the ordinary meeting of the Council of Heads of State. The Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs represents the Organization in the implementation of external contacts in accordance with the Regulations on the procedure for the work of the Council. Article 8. Meetings of heads of ministries and / or departments In accordance with the decisions of the Council of Heads of State and the Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers), heads of line ministries and / or departments of the Member States hold meetings on a regular basis to consider specific issues of developing cooperation in relevant areas within the SCO. The chairmanship is carried out by the head of the relevant ministry and / or department of the state - the organizer of the meeting. The place and time of the meeting will be agreed in advance. For the preparation and holding of meetings, by prior agreement of the Member States, working groups of experts can be created on a permanent or temporary basis, which carry out their activities in accordance with the work regulations approved at meetings of heads of ministries and / or departments. These groups are formed from representatives of ministries and/or departments of member states. Article 9. Council of National Coordinators The Council of National Coordinators is the body of the SCO, which coordinates and manages the current activities of the Organization. He spends necessary training meetings of the Council of Heads of State, the Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) and the Council of Foreign Ministers. National Focal Points are appointed by each Member State in accordance with its internal rules and procedures. The Council meets at least three times a year. The chairmanship of the Council is exercised by the national coordinator of the Member State of the Organization, on whose territory the regular meeting of the Council of Heads of State will be held, for a period starting from the date of completion of the last regular meeting of the Council of Heads of State and ending with the date of the regular meeting of the Council of Heads of State. The Chairman of the Council of National Coordinators, on behalf of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, may represent the Organization in external contacts in accordance with the Regulations on the Procedure for the Council of National Coordinators. Article 10. Regional anti-terrorist structure Republic of Kyrgyzstan) is a permanent body of the SCO. Its main tasks and functions, the principles of formation and financing, as well as the procedure for its activities are regulated by a separate international treaty concluded between the Member States and others. necessary documents accepted by them. Article 11 Secretariat The Secretariat is a permanent administrative body of the SCO. It provides organizational and technical support for the events held within the framework of the SCO, prepares proposals for the organization's annual budget. The Secretariat is headed by the Executive Secretary, who is approved by the Council of Heads of State on the proposal of the Council of Foreign Ministers. The Executive Secretary is appointed from among the citizens of the Member States on a rotational basis in the Russian alphabetical order of the names of the Member States for a period of three years without the right to renew for another term. The Deputy Executive Secretaries are approved by the Council of Foreign Ministers on the proposal of the Council of National Coordinators. They may not be representatives of the State for which the Executive Secretary is appointed. Secretariat officials are recruited from among the citizens of Member States on a quota basis. In the performance of their duties, the Executive Secretary, his deputies and other officers of the Secretariat shall not seek or receive instructions from any Member State and/or government, organizations or individuals. They must refrain from any action that could affect their position as international officials responsible only to the SCO. Member States undertake to respect the international nature of the duties of the Executive Secretary, his deputies and Secretariat staff and not to influence them in the performance of their official duties. The seat of the SCO Secretariat is the city of Beijing (People's Republic of China). Article 12 Financing The SCO has its own budget, which is formed and executed in accordance with a special agreement between the member states. This Agreement also determines the amounts of contributions that Member States make annually to the budget of the Organization on the basis of the principle of equity participation. Budget funds are directed to finance the permanent bodies of the SCO in accordance with the above-mentioned Agreement. The Member States bear the costs associated with the participation of their representatives and experts in the Organization's events. Article 13 Membership of the SCO is open to admission to membership of other states of the region, which undertake to comply with the purposes and principles of this Charter, as well as the provisions of other international treaties and documents adopted within the framework of the SCO. The decision on the admission of new members to the SCO is made by the Council of Heads of State on the proposal of the Council of Foreign Ministers on the basis of an official application of the interested state sent to the current Chairman of the Council of Foreign Ministers. Membership in the SCO of a member state that violates the provisions of this Charter and/or systematically fails to fulfill its obligations under international treaties and documents concluded within the framework of the SCO may be suspended on the proposal of the Council of Foreign Ministers by decision of the Council of Heads of State. If this state continues to violate its obligations, then the Council of Heads of State may decide to expel it from the SCO from a date determined by the Council itself. Any member state has the right to withdraw from the SCO by sending the depositary an official notice of withdrawal from this Charter no later than twelve months before the date of withdrawal. Obligations that have arisen during the period of participation in this Charter and other documents adopted within the framework of the SCO, bind the relevant states until they are fully implemented. Article 14. Relations with other states and international organizations The SCO may enter into interaction and dialogue, including in certain areas of cooperation, with other states and international organizations. The SCO can grant the interested state or international organization the status of dialogue partner or observer. The procedure and procedures for granting such status are established by a special agreement between the Member States. This Charter does not affect the rights and obligations of Member States under other international treaties to which they are parties. Article 15 Legal capacity The SCO as a subject of international law has international legal capacity. It shall enjoy in the territory of each Member State such legal capacity as is necessary for the realization of its aims and objectives. The SCO enjoys the rights legal entity and may in particular: - conclude contracts; - acquire movable and immovable property and dispose of it; - act in courts as a plaintiff or defendant; - open accounts and make transactions with funds. Article 16. Decision-making procedure Decisions in the SCO bodies are taken by agreement without voting and are considered adopted if none of the member states in the process of agreement objected to them (consensus), with the exception of decisions on suspension of membership or expulsion from the Organization, which are adopted by consensus minus one vote of the Member State concerned. Any Member State may express its point of view on certain aspects and/or specific issues of decisions being made, which is not an obstacle to making a decision as a whole. This point of view is recorded in the minutes of the meeting. In cases where one or more Member States are not interested in the implementation of individual cooperation projects that are of interest to other Member States, the non-participation of these Member States in them does not prevent the implementation of such cooperation projects by the interested Member States and, at the same time, does not prevent these States Members to further join in the implementation of such projects. Article 17. Execution of Decisions Decisions of the SCO bodies are executed by the member states in accordance with the procedures determined by their national legislation. Control over the fulfillment of the obligations of the Member States in relation to the implementation of this Charter, other treaties in force within the framework of the SCO and decisions of its bodies is carried out by the SCO bodies within their competence. Article 18. Permanent Representatives The Member States, in accordance with their internal rules and procedures, appoint their permanent representatives to the SCO Secretariat, who will be part of the diplomatic staff of the Embassies of the Member States in Beijing. Article 19. Privileges and immunities The SCO and its officials enjoy in the territories of all member states the privileges and immunities that are necessary to perform the functions and achieve the goals of the Organization. The scope of privileges and immunities of the SCO and its officials is determined by a separate international treaty. Article 20. Languages The official and working languages of the SCO are Russian and Chinese. Article 21 Validity and Entry into Force This Charter is concluded for an indefinite period. This Charter shall be subject to ratification by the signatory states and shall enter into force on the thirtieth day after the date of the fourth instrument of ratification being deposited with the depositary. For a state that has signed this Charter and ratified it later, it shall enter into force on the date of its deposit with the depositary of its instrument of ratification. After the entry into force of this Charter, it is open for accession by any state. For the acceding State, this Charter shall enter into force on the thirtieth day from the date of receipt by the depositary of the relevant instruments of accession. Article 22 Settlement of Disputes Should disputes or disagreements arise in connection with the interpretation or application of this Charter, the Member States shall resolve them through consultations and negotiations. Article 23. Amendments and additions Amendments and additions may be made to this Charter by mutual agreement of the Member States. Decisions of the Council of Heads of State on amendments and additions are drawn up in separate protocols, which are its integral part and enter into force in the manner prescribed by Article 21 of this Charter. Article 24. Reservations No reservations may be made to this Charter that are contrary to the principles, goals and objectives of the Organization, and may also impede the performance of any SCO body of its functions. In the event that at least 2/3 of the Member States have objections, the reservations must be considered as contrary to the principles, goals and objectives of the Organization or hindering the performance of any body of its functions and having no legal force. Article 25 Depositary The People's Republic of China shall be the depositary of this Charter. Article 26 Registration This Charter, in accordance with Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations, shall be registered with the Secretariat of the United Nations. Done in the city of St. Petersburg on June 7, 2002 in one copy in the Russian and Chinese languages, both texts being equally authentic. An original copy of this Charter shall be deposited with the depositary, who shall send certified copies to all signatory States. For the Republic of Kazakhstan (signed) For the People's Republic of China (signed) For the Kyrgyz Republic (signed) For the Russian Federation (signed) For the Republic of Tajikistan (signed) For the Republic of Uzbekistan (signed)

Charter of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization

CHARTER
SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION

Document as amended by:
(For the order of entry into force, see).

____________________________________________________________________

Ratified
Federal Law of the Russian Federation
dated June 6, 2003 N 66-FZ

The Republic of Kazakhstan, the People's Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan, which are the founding states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (hereinafter referred to as the SCO or the Organization),

based on the historically established ties of their peoples;

seeking to further deepen all-round cooperation;

wishing by joint efforts to contribute to strengthening peace, ensuring security and stability in the region in the context of the development of processes of political multipolarity, economic and information globalization;

Convinced that the creation of the SCO contributes to a more effective joint use of emerging opportunities and countering new challenges and threats;

believing that interaction within the framework of the SCO contributes to unlocking the enormous potential of good neighborliness, unity and cooperation between states and their peoples;

on the basis of the spirit of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, mutual consultation, respect for the diversity of cultures and the desire for common development established at the meeting of the heads of six states in Shanghai (2001);

Noting that compliance with the principles set forth in the Agreement between the Russian Federation, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan and the People's Republic of China on confidence-building in the military field in the border area of 26 April 1996 and in the Agreement between the Russian Federation, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan and the People's Republic of China on the mutual reduction of armed forces in the border area of April 24, 1997, as well as in the documents signed during the summit meetings of the heads of the Republic of Kazakhstan, China People's Republic, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan from 1998 to 2001, made an important contribution to maintaining peace, security and stability in the region and throughout the world;

Reaffirming their commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, other generally recognized principles and norms of international law relating to the maintenance of international peace, security and the development of good neighborly and friendly relations, as well as cooperation between States;

Guided by the provisions of the Declaration on the Establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization of June 15, 2001;

agreed on the following:

Article 1. Goals and objectives

Goals and objectives

The main goals and objectives of the SCO are:

strengthening of mutual trust, friendship and good-neighbourliness between member states;

development of multidisciplinary cooperation in order to maintain and strengthen peace, security and stability in the region, to promote the construction of a new democratic, just and rational political and economic international order;

joint counteraction to terrorism, separatism and extremism in all their manifestations, combating drug and arms trafficking, other types of transnational criminal activity, as well as illegal migration;

encouragement of effective regional cooperation in political, trade and economic, defense, law enforcement, environmental protection, cultural, scientific and technical, educational, energy, transport, credit and financial and other areas of common interest;

promotion of comprehensive and balanced economic growth, social and cultural development in the region through joint actions based on equal partnership in order to steadily improve the level and improve the living conditions of the peoples of the Member States;

coordination of approaches to integration into the world economy;

promoting the provision of human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the international obligations of the Member States and their national legislation;

maintenance and development of relations with other states and international organizations;

interaction in the prevention of international conflicts and their peaceful settlement;

joint search for solutions to problems that will arise in the 21st century.

Article 2 Principles

Principles

The SCO member states adhere to the following principles:

mutual respect for sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity states and the inviolability of state borders, non-aggression, non-interference in internal affairs, non-use of force or threat of force in international relations, renunciation of unilateral military superiority in adjacent areas;

equality of all member states, search for common points of view based on mutual understanding and respect for the opinions of each of them;

step-by-step implementation of joint actions in areas of common interest;

peaceful resolution of disagreements between Member States;

non-direction of the SCO against other states and international organizations;

preventing any illegal actions directed against the interests of the SCO;

conscientious fulfillment of the obligations arising from this Charter and other documents adopted within the framework of the SCO.

Article 3. Areas of cooperation

Areas of cooperation

The main areas of cooperation within the SCO are:

maintaining peace and strengthening security and confidence in the region;

search for common points of view on foreign policy issues of common interest, including in international organizations and international forums;

development and implementation of measures to jointly counter terrorism, separatism and extremism, drug and arms trafficking, other types of transnational criminal activity, as well as illegal migration;

coordination of efforts on disarmament and arms control issues;

supporting and encouraging regional economic cooperation in various forms, promoting the creation of favorable conditions for trade and investment in order to gradually realize the free movement of goods, capital, services and technologies;

efficient use of the existing infrastructure in the field of transport and communications, improvement of the transit potential of the Member States, development of energy systems;

ensuring rational nature management, including the use of water resources in the region, the implementation of joint special environmental programs and projects;

provision of mutual assistance in the prevention of natural and man-made emergencies and the elimination of their consequences;

exchange of legal information in the interests of developing cooperation within the framework of the SCO;

expansion of interaction in the field of science and technology, education, healthcare, culture, sports and tourism.

The SCO member states may, by mutual agreement, expand the spheres of cooperation.

Article 4 Bodies

1. To fulfill the goals and objectives of this Charter, the following shall operate within the Organization:

Council of Heads of State;

Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers);

Council of Foreign Ministers;

Meetings of heads of ministries and/or departments;

Council of National Coordinators;

Regional antiterrorist structure;

Secretariat.

2. The functions and procedures for the work of the SCO bodies, with the exception of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, are determined by the relevant provisions, which are approved by the Council of Heads of State.

3. The Council of Heads of State may decide to establish other bodies of the SCO. The creation of new bodies is formalized in the form of additional protocols to this Charter, which enter into force in the manner prescribed by Article 21 of this Charter.

Council of Heads of State

The Council of Heads of State is the supreme body of the SCO. It determines the priorities and develops the main directions of the Organization's activities, resolves the fundamental issues of its internal structure and functioning, interaction with other states and international organizations, and also considers the most pressing international problems.

The Council meets for regular meetings once a year. The chairmanship at a meeting of the Council of Heads of State shall be carried out by the head of state - the organizer of the next meeting. The venue for the next meeting of the Council is determined, as a rule, in the Russian alphabetical order of the names of the SCO member states.

Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers)

The Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) adopts the budget of the Organization, considers and decides on the main issues related to specific, especially economic, areas of development of interaction within the Organization.

The Council meets for regular meetings once a year. The meeting of the Council is chaired by the head of government (Prime Minister) of the state in whose territory the meeting is held.

The venue of the next meeting of the Council is determined by prior agreement of the heads of government (prime ministers) of the Member States.

Council of Foreign Ministers

The Council of Foreign Ministers considers the current activities of the Organization, the preparation of a meeting of the Council of Heads of State and the holding of consultations within the framework of the Organization on International Problems. The Council may, if necessary, make statements on behalf of the SCO.

The Council meets, as a rule, one month before the meeting of the Council of Heads of State. Extraordinary meetings of the Council of Foreign Ministers are convened on the initiative of at least two Member States and with the consent of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of all other Member States. The venue of the regular and extraordinary meetings of the Council is determined by mutual agreement.

The chairmanship of the Council shall be exercised by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Member State of the Organization on whose territory the regular meeting of the Council of Heads of State is held, for a period starting from the date of completion of the last ordinary meeting of the Council of Heads of State and ending with the date of the ordinary meeting of the Council of Heads of State.

The Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs represents the Organization in the implementation of external contacts in accordance with the Regulations on the procedure for the work of the Council.

Article 8. Meetings of heads of ministries and/or departments

Meetings of heads of ministries and/or departments

In accordance with the decisions of the Council of Heads of State and the Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers), the heads of sectoral ministries and/or departments of the Member States hold meetings on a regular basis to consider specific issues of developing cooperation in relevant areas within the framework of the SCO. The chairmanship is carried out by the head of the relevant ministry and / or department of the state - the organizer of the meeting. The place and time of the meeting will be agreed in advance.

For the preparation and holding of meetings, by prior agreement of the Member States, working groups of experts can be created on a permanent or temporary basis, which carry out their activities in accordance with the work regulations approved at meetings of heads of ministries and / or departments. These groups are formed from representatives of ministries and/or departments of member states.

Council of National Coordinators

The Council of National Coordinators is the body of the SCO that coordinates and manages the current activities of the Organization. He carries out the necessary preparations for the meetings of the Council of Heads of State, the Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) and the Council of Foreign Ministers. National Focal Points are appointed by each Member State in accordance with its internal rules and procedures.

The Council meets at least three times a year. The chairmanship of the Council is exercised by the national coordinator of the Member State of the Organization, on whose territory the regular meeting of the Council of Heads of State will be held, for a period starting from the date of completion of the last regular meeting of the Council of Heads of State and ending with the date of the regular meeting of the Council of Heads of State.

The Chairman of the Council of National Coordinators, on behalf of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, may represent the Organization in external contacts in accordance with the Regulations on the Procedure for the Council of National Coordinators.

Article 10. Regional anti-terrorist structure

Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure

The Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the States Parties to the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism of June 15, 2001, located in the city of Bishkek (Kyrgyz Republic) is a permanent body of the SCO.

Its main tasks and functions, the principles of formation and financing, as well as the procedure for its activities are regulated by a separate international agreement concluded between the Member States, and other necessary documents adopted by them.

Article 11 Secretariat

Secretariat

The secretariat is the main permanent executive body The SCO coordinates, provides information and analytical, legal, organizational and technical support for the activities of the Organization, develops proposals for the development of cooperation within the framework of the SCO and international relations Organizations, controls the implementation of the decisions of the SCO bodies.
International Protocol of June 15, 2006 .

The secretariat is headed General Secretary, which is approved by the Council of Heads of State on the proposal of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs.
(Paragraph as amended, entered into force on May 13, 2008 by the International Protocol of June 15, 2006.

The Secretary General is appointed from among the citizens of the Member States on a rotational basis in the Russian alphabetical order of the names of the Member States for a period of three years without the right to renew for another term.
(Paragraph as amended, entered into force on May 13, 2008 by the International Protocol of June 15, 2006.

The Deputy Secretaries General are approved by the Council of Foreign Ministers on the proposal of the Council of National Coordinators. They cannot be representatives of the state from which the Secretary General is appointed.
(Paragraph as amended, entered into force on May 13, 2008 by the International Protocol of June 15, 2006.

Secretariat officials are recruited from among the citizens of the Member States on a quota basis.

In the performance of their duties, the Secretary General, his deputies and other officials of the Secretariat shall not seek or receive instructions from any Member State and/or government, organizations or individuals. They must refrain from any action that could affect their position as international officials responsible only to the SCO.
(Paragraph as amended, entered into force on May 13, 2008 by the International Protocol of June 15, 2006.

Member States undertake to respect the international nature of the duties of the Secretary-General, his deputies and the staff of the Secretariat and not to influence them in the performance of their official duties.
(Paragraph as amended, entered into force on May 13, 2008 by the International Protocol of June 15, 2006.

The seat of the SCO Secretariat is the city of Beijing (People's Republic of China).

Article 12 Financing

Financing

The SCO has its own budget, which is formed and executed in accordance with a special Agreement between the member states. This Agreement also determines the amounts of contributions that Member States make annually to the budget of the Organization on the basis of the principle of equity participation.

Budget funds are directed to finance the permanent bodies of the SCO in accordance with the above-mentioned Agreement. The Member States bear the costs associated with the participation of their representatives and experts in the Organization's events.

Article 13 Membership

Membership

The SCO is open for admission to its membership of other states of the region, which undertake to comply with the purposes and principles of this Charter, as well as the provisions of other international treaties and documents adopted within the framework of the SCO.

The decision on the admission of new members to the SCO is made by the Council of Heads of State on the proposal of the Council of Foreign Ministers on the basis of an official application of the interested state sent to the current Chairman of the Council of Foreign Ministers.

Membership in the SCO of a member state that violates the provisions of this Charter and/or systematically fails to fulfill its obligations under international treaties and documents concluded within the framework of the SCO may be suspended on the proposal of the Council of Foreign Ministers by decision of the Council of Heads of State. If this state continues to violate its obligations, then the Council of Heads of State may decide to expel it from the SCO from a date determined by the Council itself.

Any member state has the right to withdraw from the SCO by sending the depositary an official notice of withdrawal from this Charter no later than twelve months before the date of withdrawal. Obligations that have arisen during the period of participation in this Charter and other documents adopted within the framework of the SCO, bind the relevant states until they are fully implemented.

Article 14. Relations with other states and international organizations

Relations with other states and
international organizations

The SCO can enter into interaction and dialogue, including in certain areas of cooperation, with other states and international organizations.

The SCO can grant the interested state or international organization the status of dialogue partner or observer. The procedure and procedures for granting such status are established by a special agreement between the Member States.

This Charter does not affect the rights and obligations of Member States under other international treaties to which they are parties.

Article 15. Legal capacity

Legal capacity

The SCO as a subject of international law has international legal capacity. It shall enjoy in the territory of each Member State such legal capacity as is necessary for the realization of its aims and objectives.

The SCO enjoys the rights of a legal entity and can, in particular:

- conclude contracts;

- acquire movable and immovable property and dispose of it;

- act in courts as a plaintiff or defendant;

- open accounts and make transactions with funds.

Article 16

Decision-making procedure

Decisions in the SCO bodies are taken by agreement without a vote and are considered adopted if none of the member states objected to them during the agreement process (consensus), with the exception of decisions to suspend membership or expel from the Organization, which are made on the principle of "consensus". minus one vote of the Member State concerned".

Any Member State may express its point of view on certain aspects and/or specific issues of decisions being made, which is not an obstacle to making a decision as a whole. This point of view is recorded in the minutes of the meeting.

In cases where one or more Member States are not interested in the implementation of individual cooperation projects that are of interest to other Member States, the non-participation of the said Member States in them does not prevent the implementation of such cooperation projects by the interested Member States and, at the same time, does not prevent the said States Members to further join in the implementation of such projects.

Article 17. Execution of decisions

Execution of decisions

The decisions of the SCO bodies are executed by the member states in accordance with the procedures determined by their national legislation.

Control over the fulfillment of the obligations of the Member States in relation to the implementation of this Charter, other treaties in force within the framework of the SCO and decisions of its bodies is carried out by the SCO bodies within their competence.

Article 18. Permanent Representatives

permanent representatives

The member states, in accordance with their internal rules and procedures, appoint their permanent representatives to the SCO Secretariat, who will be part of the diplomatic staff of the embassies of the member states in Beijing.

Article 19. Privileges and immunities

Privileges and Immunities

The SCO and its officials enjoy on the territories of all member states the privileges and immunities that are necessary to perform the functions and achieve the goals of the Organization.

The scope of privileges and immunities of the SCO and its officials is determined by a separate international treaty.

Article 20 Languages

The official working languages of the SCO are Russian and Chinese.

Article 21 Validity and entry into force

Validity and entry into force

This Charter is concluded for an indefinite period.

This Charter shall be subject to ratification by the signatory states and shall enter into force on the thirtieth day after the date of the fourth instrument of ratification being deposited with the depositary.

For a state that has signed this Charter and ratified it later, it shall enter into force on the date of its deposit with the depositary of its instrument of ratification.

After the entry into force of this Charter, it is open for accession by any state.

For the acceding State, this Charter shall enter into force on the thirtieth day from the date of receipt by the depositary of the relevant instruments of accession.

Article 22 Settlement of disputes

Dispute Resolution

In the event of disputes and disagreements arising in connection with the interpretation or application of this Charter, the Member States will resolve them through consultations and negotiations.

Article 23. Changes and additions

Changes and additions

This Charter may be amended and supplemented by mutual agreement of the Member States. Decisions of the Council of Heads of State on amendments and additions are drawn up in separate protocols, which are its integral part and enter into force in the manner prescribed by Article 21 of this Charter.

Article 24 Reservations

Reservations

No reservations may be made to this Charter that are contrary to the principles, goals and objectives of the Organization, and may also prevent the performance of any SCO body of its functions. In the event that at least 2/3 of the Member States have objections, the reservations must be considered as contrary to the principles, goals and objectives of the Organization or hindering the performance of any body of its functions and having no legal force.

Article 25. Depositary

Depository

The depositary of this Charter is the People's Republic of China.

Article 26. Registration

registration

This Charter, in accordance with Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations, is subject to registration with the Secretariat of the United Nations.

Done in the city of St. Petersburg on June 7, 2002 in one copy in the Russian and Chinese languages, both texts being equally authentic.

An original copy of this Charter shall be deposited with the depositary, who shall send certified copies to all signatory States.

Ratified by the Federal Assembly (Federal Law of June 6, 2003 N 66-FZ - Collection of Legislation of the Russian Federation, 2003, N 23, Art. 2175).

The Charter entered into force for the Russian Federation on September 19, 2003.

Revision of the document, taking into account
changes and additions prepared
JSC "Kodeks"

Charter of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (as amended on June 15, 2006)

Document's name:	Charter of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (as amended on June 15, 2006)
Type of document:	international treaty
Host body:	States
Status:	current
Published:	Moscow Journal of International Law, N 1, January-March, 2003 Collection of Legislation of the Russian Federation, N 43, 10/23/2006, art. 4417
Acceptance date:	07 June 2002
Effective start date:	September 19, 2003
Revision date:	June 15, 2006

The main goals of the SCO include: strengthening mutual trust and good neighborliness between the member countries; promotion of their effective cooperation in the political, trade-economic, scientific-technical and cultural fields, as well as in the field of education, energy, transport, tourism, defense environment and others; joint provision and maintenance of peace, security and stability in the region; moving towards the creation of a democratic, just and rational new international political and economic order.

The SCO observer states are India, Mongolia, Pakistan and Iran.

At the SCO summit in Dushanbe on August 28, 2008, the Regulations on the Status of the SCO Dialogue Partner were approved. Partner status is granted to a state or organization that shares the goals and principles of the SCO and wishes to establish relations of equal and mutually beneficial partnership with the Organization; or cooperating with the SCO in certain areas of activity.

Belarus and Sri Lanka currently have Dialogue Partner status.

The total area of the SCO member states is about 30.189 million square kilometers, which is 3/5 of the area of Eurasia, and the population is 1.5 billion people, which is 1/4 of the entire population of the globe.

Your story Shanghai Organization cooperation has been leading since 1996. On April 26, 1996, the heads of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan met in Shanghai in order to develop a common position on the entire spectrum of problems of regional cooperation, as well as confidence-building measures in the military field. As a result of the forum, an "Agreement on Confidence Building Measures in the Military Sphere in the Joint Border Area" was signed.

In 1996-2000, the leaders of these countries (the "Shanghai Five") met in turn in Shanghai, Moscow, Alma-Ata, Bishkek and Dushanbe. The Dushanbe meeting in 2000 marked the end of the first round of meetings of the heads of state of the "Shanghai Five".

Based on the agreements on confidence-building in the military field and on the mutual reduction of armed forces in the border area, concluded between Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia and Tajikistan, respectively, in 1996 and 1997, the SCO was formed.

At the meeting of the heads of five states on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai, the leaders of the "Shanghai Five" accepted Uzbekistan into their ranks. On the same day, a declaration on the establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was signed.

At the summit in St. Petersburg on June 7, 2002, the SCO Charter was adopted (entered into force on September 19, 2003) - the basic statutory document that fixes the goals, principles, structure and main directions of the Organization's activities.

At the next SCO summit, held from 28 to 29 May 2003 in Moscow, documenting organizations: the Declaration of the Heads of State of the SCO Member States was signed, approving a set of documents regulating the procedure for the work of the SCO statutory bodies and its financial mechanism.

An important step in strengthening the legal base of the association was the signing in Bishkek on August 16, 2007 of the Treaty on long-term good neighborliness, friendship and cooperation.

The highest decision-making body in the SCO is the Council of Heads of Member States (CHS). It meets once a year and makes decisions and instructions on all important issues organizations.

The Council of Heads of Government of the SCO Member States (CGP) meets once a year to discuss the strategy of multilateral cooperation and priority areas within the framework of the organization, solving fundamental and topical issues of economic and other cooperation, and also approves the annual budget of the organization.

In addition to the meetings of the CHS and the CHP, there is also a mechanism for meetings at the level of heads of parliaments, secretaries of security councils, ministers of foreign affairs, defense, emergency situations, economy, transport, culture, education, healthcare, heads of law enforcement agencies, supreme and arbitration courts, prosecutors general. The Council of National Coordinators of the SCO Member States (CNC) serves as the coordination mechanism within the SCO. The organization has two permanent bodies - the Secretariat in Beijing under the leadership of the Secretary General and the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure in Tashkent, headed by the Director.

The Secretary General and the Director of the Executive Committee are appointed by the Council of Heads of State for a term of three years. Since January 1, 2010, these posts have been respectively occupied by Muratbek Imanaliev (Kyrgyzstan) and Dzhenisbek Dzhumanbekov (Kazakhstan).

The symbolism of the SCO includes a white flag with the emblem of the organization in the center. The coat of arms depicts two laurel wreaths on the sides, in the center is a symbolic image of the Eastern Hemisphere of the earth with the outlines of the earth's land, which is occupied by the "six", above and below - the inscription in Chinese and Russian: "Shanghai Cooperation Organization".

The official working languages are Russian and Chinese. The headquarters is located in Beijing (China).

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

EXCHANGE SCO

PLAN

Introduction
SCO Charter:

2.1 Goals and objectives

2.2 Principles

2.4 Bodies

2.5 Council of Heads of State

2.6 Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers)

2.7 Council of Foreign Ministers

2.8 Meetings of heads of ministries and / or departments

2.9 Council of National Focal Points

2.10 Regional anti-terrorism structure

2.11 Secretariat

2.12 Funding

2.13 Membership

2.14 Relations with other states and international

organizations

2.15 Legal capacity

2.16 Decision making

2.17 Enforcement of decisions

2.18 Permanent representatives

2.19 Privileges and immunities

2.20 Languages

2.21 Duration and entry into force

2.22 Dispute resolution

2.23 Changes and additions

2.24 Reservations

2.25 Depositary

2.26 Registration

3. Areas of cooperation

4. SCO activities in 2006

5. SCO activity in 2007

6. SCO activity in 2008

7. SCO activities in 2009

8. Conclusions and results

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO listen)) is a regional international organization founded in 2001 leaders China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan And Uzbekistan. With the exception of Uzbekistan, the rest of the countries were members "Shanghai Five", founded as a result of signing in 1996-1997. agreements between Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Russia and Tajikistan on confidence-building in the military field and on mutual reduction armed forces in the border area. After the inclusion of Uzbekistan in 2001, the participants renamed the organization.

The SCO was created in Central Asia as a response to the sharp activation of destabilizing forces in the region (“three forces”) - international terrorism, religious extremism and separatism. The beginning of the creation of the SCO was the desire of China and the countries of Central Asia bordering on Russia to resolve the unresolved border problems existing between them. Another incentive for integration was to ensure the stability and security of Central Asia, which are vital for Russia and China and for the countries of this region themselves. A serious threat to them was the growing infiltration of terrorist forces from neighboring Afghanistan, and the growth, as well as the activation of their own religious extremism and ethnic separatism. Thanks to cooperation within the framework of the SCO, China "has basically solved all the territorial problems with its neighboring Asian states of the CIS-Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan." (Komissina I.N., Kurtov A.A. Shanghai Cooperation Organization. - P.23-24) Moreover, these states made territorial concessions to the PRC in order to ensure security and remove barriers that prevented the development of fruitful regional cooperation.

The moral and political component underlying the functioning of the SCO, in the documents of this organization, received the general term "Shanghai spirit", which stands for mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, respect for each other's interests and opinions, mutual consultations, voluntary consent to fulfill the agreements reached .

A special role in the creation of the SCO belongs to the People's Republic of China as "a power that claims to new role in world history "(Komissina I.N., Kurtov A.A. Shanghai Cooperation Organization. - P.25) The unification of states in the SCO resolved the border issue with adjacent states, made common borders not only safe, but also turned them into an effective channel for close contacts with Central Asia.

As Chinese political scientists note, the formation of the SCO is “the achievement of a strategic compromise and strategic balance between China and Russia in Central Asia. This is the mutual recognition of their interests and the implementation of strategic cooperation between them in the region" (magazine "Zhanlue yu guanli" 2004. No. 2.

The total territory of the countries belonging to the SCO is 30 million km², that is, 60% of the territory of Eurasia. Its total demographic potential is a fourth of the world's population (Komissina I.N., Kurtov A.A. Shanghai Cooperation Organization. - P.251), and its economic potential includes the most powerful Chinese economy after the United States.

The main goals of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization include: strengthening mutual trust and good neighborliness between the participating countries; promotion of their effective cooperation in the political, trade, economic, scientific, technical and cultural fields, as well as in the field of education, energy, transport, tourism, environmental protection and others; joint provision and maintenance of peace, security and stability in the region; moving towards the creation of a democratic, just and rational new international political and economic order.
In relations within the organization, proceeding from the "Shanghai spirit", the SCO member states adhere to the principles of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, mutual consultations, respect for the diversity of cultures and the desire for common development, and in external relations it adheres to the principle of non-alliance, not directed against anyone or openness.

The tasks of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization initially lay in the sphere of mutual intra-regional actions to suppress terrorist acts, separatism and extremism in Central Asia. In June 2002, at the St. Petersburg Summit of the SCO Heads of State, the Charter of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was signed (entered into force on September 19, 2003). This is the basic statutory document that fixes the goals and principles of the Organization, its structure and main activities. In addition, in 2006, the Organization announced plans to combat the international drug mafia as a financial backbone of terrorism in the world, and in 2008 - active participation in the normalization of the situation in Afghanistan.

CHARTER OF THE SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION
CHARTER(from gr. chartes- paper, letter) - in international law usually means the same as declaration : articulating general principles and goals an international act, usually non-binding (for example, the European Charter of Local Self-Government adopted by the Council of Europe on October 15, 1985, the Charter of Paris for a New Europe, the Mining Charter of the CIS Member States of March 27, 1997 and a number of others).

Meeting of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, St. Petersburg, June 7, 2002

Based on the historical connections of their peoples;

Seeking to further deepen all-round cooperation;

Wishing by joint efforts to contribute to strengthening peace, ensuring security and stability in the region in the context of the development of processes of political multipolarity, economic and information globalization;

Convinced that the creation of the SCO contributes to a more effective joint use of emerging opportunities and countering new challenges and threats;

Considering that interaction within the framework of the SCO contributes to unlocking the enormous potential of good neighborliness, unity and cooperation between states and their peoples;

Based on the spirit of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, mutual consultation, respect for the diversity of cultures and the desire for common development established at the meeting of the heads of six states in Shanghai (2001);

Noting that compliance with the principles set forth in the Agreement between the Russian Federation, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan and the People's Republic of China on confidence-building in the military field in the border area of April 26, 1996 and in the Agreement between the Russian Federation, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Tajikistan and the People's Republic of China on the mutual reduction of armed forces in the border area of April 24, 1997, as well as in documents signed during the summit meetings of the heads of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People's Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan from 1998 to 2001, made an important contribution to maintaining peace, security and stability in the region and throughout the world;

Reaffirming their commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, other generally recognized principles and norms of international law relating to the maintenance of international peace, security and the development of good neighborly and friendly relations, as well as cooperation between states;

Guided by the provisions of the Declaration on the Establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization of June 15, 2001;

We have agreed on the following:

Article 1

Goals and objectives

The main goals and objectives of the SCO are:

Strengthening of mutual trust, friendship and good-neighborliness between the Member States;

Development of multidisciplinary cooperation in order to maintain and strengthen peace, security and stability in the region, promote the construction of a new democratic, fair and rational political and economic international order;

Joint counteraction to terrorism, separatism and extremism in all their manifestations, combating drug and arms trafficking, other types of transnational criminal activity, as well as illegal migration;

Encouragement of effective regional cooperation in political, trade, economic, defense, law enforcement, environmental, cultural, scientific and technical, educational, energy, transport, credit and financial and other areas of common interest;

Promoting comprehensive and balanced economic growth, social and cultural development in the region through joint action based on equal partnership in order to steadily improve the level and improve the living conditions of the peoples of the Member States;

Promoting the provision of human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the international obligations of the Member States and their national legislation;

Maintaining and developing relations with other states and international organizations;

Interaction in the prevention of international conflicts and their peaceful settlement;

Joint search for solutions to problems that will arise in the 21st century.

Article 2

Principles

The SCO member states adhere to the following principles:

Mutual respect for the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity of states and the inviolability of state borders, non-aggression, non-interference in internal affairs, non-use of force or threat of force in international relations, renunciation of unilateral military superiority in adjacent areas;

Equality of rights for all Member States, search for common points of view based on mutual understanding and respect for the opinions of each of them;

Step-by-step implementation of joint actions in areas of common interest;

Peaceful resolution of disagreements between Member States;

Non-direction of the SCO against other states and international organizations;

Prevention of any illegal actions directed against the interests of the SCO;

Conscientious fulfillment of the obligations arising from this Charter and other documents adopted within the framework of the SCO.

Article 3

Areas of cooperation

The main areas of cooperation within the SCO are:

Maintaining peace and strengthening security and confidence in the region;

Search for common points of view on foreign policy issues of common interest, including in international organizations and international forums;

Development and implementation of measures to jointly counter terrorism, separatism and extremism, drug and arms trafficking, and other types of transnational criminal activity;

Coordinating efforts on disarmament and arms control issues;

Support and encouragement of regional economic cooperation in various forms, promoting the creation of favorable conditions for trade and investment in order to gradually realize the free movement of goods, capital, services and technologies;

Efficient use of the existing infrastructure in the field of transport and communications, improvement of the transit potential of the Member States, development of energy systems;

Ensuring rational nature management, including the use of water resources in the region, the implementation of joint special environmental programs and projects;

Providing mutual assistance in the prevention of natural and man-made emergencies and the elimination of their consequences;

Exchange of legal information in the interests of developing cooperation within the SCO;

Expansion of interaction in the field of science and technology, education, healthcare, culture, sports and tourism.

The SCO member states may, by mutual agreement, expand the spheres of cooperation.

Article 4

1. To fulfill the goals and objectives of this Charter, the following shall operate within the Organization:

Council of Heads of State;

Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers);

Council of Foreign Ministers;

Meetings of heads of ministries and/or departments;

Council of National Coordinators;

Regional antiterrorist structure;

Secretariat.

Article 5

Council of Heads of State

The Council meets for regular meetings once a year. The chairmanship at a meeting of the Council of Heads of State shall be carried out by the head of state - the organizer of the next meeting. The venue of the next meeting of the Council is determined, as a rule, in the order of the Russian alphabet of the names of the SCO member states.

Article 6

Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers)

The Council meets for regular meetings once a year. The meeting of the Council is chaired by the head of government (Prime Minister) of the state in whose territory the meeting is held.

The venue of the next meeting of the Council is determined by prior agreement of the heads of government (prime ministers) of the Member States.

Article 7

Council of Foreign Ministers

The Council meets, as a rule, one month before the meeting of the Council of Heads of State. Extraordinary meetings of the Council of Foreign Ministers are convened on the initiative of at least two Member States and with the consent of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of all other Member States. The venue of the regular and extraordinary meetings of the Council is determined by mutual agreement.

The chairmanship of the Council shall be exercised by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Member State of the Organization on whose territory the regular meeting of the Council of Heads of State is held, for a period starting from the date of completion of the last ordinary meeting of the Council of Heads of State and ending with the date of the ordinary meeting of the Council of Heads of State.

The Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs represents the Organization in the implementation of external contacts in accordance with the Regulations on the procedure for the work of the Council.

Article 8

Meetings of heads of ministries and / or departments

The chairmanship is carried out by the head of the relevant ministry and / or department of the host state of the meeting. The place and time of the meeting will be agreed in advance.

For the preparation and holding of meetings, by prior agreement of the Member States, working groups of experts can be created on a permanent or temporary basis, which carry out their activities in accordance with the work regulations approved at meetings of heads of ministries and / or departments. These groups are formed from representatives of ministries and/or departments of member states.

Article 9

Council of National Coordinators

The Council meets at least three times in year. The chairmanship of the Council is exercised by the national coordinator of the Member State of the Organization, on whose territory the regular meeting of the Council of Heads of State will be held, for a period starting from the date of completion of the last regular meeting of the Council of Heads of State and ending with the date of the regular meeting of the Council of Heads of State.

The Chairman of the Council of National Coordinators, on behalf of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, may represent the Organization in external contacts in accordance with the Regulations on the Procedure for the Council of National Coordinators.

Article 10

Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure

Its main tasks and functions, the principles of formation and financing, as well as the procedure for its activities are regulated by a separate international agreement concluded between the Member States, and other necessary documents adopted by them.

Article 11

Secretariat

The Secretariat is a permanent administrative body of the SCO. It provides organizational and technical support for the events held within the framework of the SCO, prepares proposals for the organization's annual budget.

The Secretariat is headed by the Executive Secretary, who is approved by the Council of Heads of State on the proposal of the Council of Foreign Ministers.

The Executive Secretary is appointed from among the citizens of the Member States on a rotational basis in the Russian alphabetical order of the names of the Member States for a period of three years without the right to renew for another term.

The Deputy Executive Secretaries are approved by the Council of Foreign Ministers on the proposal of the Council of National Coordinators. They may not be representatives of the State for which the Executive Secretary is appointed.

Secretariat officials are recruited from among the citizens of the Member States on a quota basis.

In the performance of their duties, the Executive Secretary, his deputies and other officers of the Secretariat shall not seek or receive instructions from any Member State and/or government, organizations or individuals. They must refrain from any action that could affect their position as international officials responsible only to the SCO.

Member States undertake to respect the international nature of the duties of the Executive Secretary, his deputies and Secretariat staff and not to influence them in the performance of their official duties.

The seat of the SCO Secretariat is the city of Beijing (People's Republic of China).

Article 12

Financing

Budget funds are directed to finance the permanent bodies of the SCO in accordance with the above-mentioned Agreement. The Member States bear the costs associated with the participation of their representatives and experts in the Organization's events.

Article 13

Membership

The decision on the admission of new members to the SCO is made by the Council of Heads of State on the proposal of the Council of Foreign Ministers on the basis of an official application of the interested state sent to the current Chairman of the Council of Foreign Ministers.

Membership in the SCO of a member state that violates the provisions of this Charter and / or systematically fails to fulfill its obligations under international treaties and documents concluded within the framework of the SCO may be suspended on the proposal of the Council of Foreign Ministers by decision of the Council of Heads of State. If this state continues to violate its obligations, then the Council of Heads of State may decide to expel it from the SCO from a date determined by the Council itself.

Any member state has the right to withdraw from the SCO by sending the depositary an official notice of withdrawal from this Charter no later than twelve months before the date of withdrawal. Obligations that have arisen during the period of participation in this Charter and other documents adopted within the framework of the SCO, bind the relevant states until they are fully implemented.

Article 14

Relations with other states and international organizations

The SCO can enter into interaction and dialogue, including in certain areas of cooperation, with other states and international organizations.

The SCO can grant the interested state or international organization the status of dialogue partner or observer. The procedure and procedures for granting such status are established by a special agreement between the Member States.

This Charter does not affect the rights and obligations of Member States under other international treaties to which they are parties.

Article 15

Legal capacity

The SCO enjoys the rights of a legal entity and can, in particular:

conclude contracts;

Acquire movable and immovable property and dispose of it;

Appear in courts as a plaintiff or defendant;

Open accounts and make transactions with funds.

Article 16

Decision-making procedure

Any Member State may express its point of view on certain aspects and / or specific issues of decisions being made, which is not an obstacle to making a decision as a whole. This point of view is recorded in the minutes of the meeting.

In cases where one or more Member States are not interested in the implementation of individual cooperation projects that are of interest to other Member States, the non-participation of the said Member States in them does not prevent the implementation of such cooperation projects by the interested Member States and, at the same time, does not prevent the said States Members to further join in the implementation of such projects.

Article 17

Execution of decisions

The decisions of the SCO bodies are executed by the member states in accordance with the procedures determined by their national legislation.

Control over the fulfillment of the obligations of the Member States in relation to the implementation of this Charter, other treaties in force within the framework of the SCO and decisions of its bodies is carried out by the SCO bodies within their competence.

Article 18

permanent representatives

Article 19

Privileges and Immunities

The SCO and its officials enjoy on the territories of all member states the privileges and immunities that are necessary to perform the functions and achieve the goals of the Organization.

The scope of privileges and immunities of the SCO and its officials is determined by a separate international treaty.

Article 20

The official and working languages of the SCO are Russian and Chinese.

Article 21

Validity and entry into force

This Charter is concluded for an indefinite period.

This Charter shall be subject to ratification by the signatory states and shall enter into force on the thirtieth day after the date of the fourth instrument of ratification being deposited with the depositary.

For a state that has signed this Charter and ratified it later, it shall enter into force on the date of its deposit with the depositary of its instrument of ratification.

After the entry into force of this Charter, it is open for accession by any state.

For the acceding State, this Charter shall enter into force on the thirtieth day from the date of receipt by the depositary of the relevant instruments of accession.

Article 22

Dispute Resolution

In the event of disputes and disagreements arising in connection with the interpretation or application of this Charter, the Member States will resolve them through consultations and negotiations.

Article 23

Changes and additions

Article 24

Reservations

No reservations may be made to this Charter that are contrary to the principles, goals and objectives of the Organization, and that may also prevent any body of the SCO from exercising its functions. In the event that at least 2/3 of the Member States have objections, the reservations must be considered as contrary to the principles, goals and objectives of the Organization or hindering the performance of any body of its functions and having no legal force.

Article 25

Depository

The depositary of this Charter is the People's Republic of China.

Article 26

registration

This Charter, in accordance with Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations, is subject to registration with the Secretariat of the United Nations.

Done in the city of St. Petersburg on June 7, 2002 in one copy in the Russian and Chinese languages, both texts being equally authentic.

An original copy of this Charter shall be deposited with the depositary, who shall send certified copies to all signatory States.

Literature:

System history international relations in 4 volumes. events and documents. 1918-2003. Ed. A.D. Bogaturova. Volume three. Developments. 1945-2003. Section IV. Globalization. Chapter 13. M, NOFMO, 2003
Lukin A., Mochulsky A. Shanghai Cooperation Organization: structural design and development prospects. - Analytical notes. M., MGIMO, vol. 2(4), February 2005

Security Cooperation

The activities of the SCO initially lay in the sphere of mutual intra-regional actions to suppress terrorist acts, as well as separatism and extremism in Central Asia. According to Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, it became the first international organization to make the idea of combating terrorism the core of its activities. signed by the participants of the SCO inception summit in Shanghai ( year 2001) was the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism, which for the first time international level consolidated the definition of separatism and extremism as violent, criminally prosecuted acts. Since that time, the participating countries have given priority to the settlement of internal conflicts, reaching consensus in countering extremism and drug mafia, evidence of which was the creation of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, and then the signing of the Treaty on Long-term Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation.
May, 23rd 2002 in Astana (Kazakhstan) a regular meeting of the heads of law enforcement agencies and intelligence agencies of the SCO member states was held, at which the "Decision on the draft Agreement between the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure" was signed. A draft of this Agreement was also adopted and it was recommended to speed up the development of other relevant documents on its basis in order to activate the anti-terrorist structure as soon as possible. June 7 the same year in St. Petersburg At the meeting of the heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, an Agreement on the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure was signed. Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (03.03.2004).

The main tasks and functions of the Executive Committee of the RATS SCO are defined in three priority areas:

coordination and operational direction (coordination and interaction of the competent authorities of the participating countries in the fight against terrorism, extremism, conducting anti-terrorist exercises, etc.);
international legal direction (participation in the preparation of international documents on issues of combating terrorism, including within the framework of UN, promotion UN Security Council etc.);
information and analytical direction (formation and replenishment of the RATS data bank, collection and analysis of information on combating terrorism, etc.) ( Osetrov A.V. Activities of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure for Combating Terrorism in Central Asia (2004-2005) // : Materials are round. table. - M.: In-t Daln. Vost. RAN, 2008. - S. 246-255.)

According to the executive director of this organization, V. Kasymov, only during the period between two SCO summits (July 5, 2005 - June 15, 2006), more than 450 terrorist attacks were prevented as a result of the activities of the RATS on the territory of the SCO, ( Moskalenko V.N. Security Issues: SCO and Pakistan // Shanghai Cooperation Organization: Toward New Frontiers of Development: collection of materials of the "round table", April 2007. - M .: Publishing House of the Institute Far East RAN, 2008. - S. 351-368.) 15 leaders of terrorist organizations were detained or destroyed by the special services of the countries of the Organization, another 400 are wanted. ( Bolyatko A.V. Shanghai Cooperation Organization: Toward New Frontiers of Development: Materials are round. table. - M.: In-t Daln. Vost. RAN, 2008. - S. 12-41.)

Signed at the Bishkek summit ( August 16 2007) The Treaty on Long-term Good Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation was intended to strengthen good neighborly relations between the participating countries. According to a prominent Russian politician and political scientist A. A. Kokoshina“this Treaty can play a very important role in the formation of a new system of world politics, a new world order, more just, less fraught with acute crises than the one that arose after the collapse of the bipolar system, when the only remaining superpower, the United States, tried to become the dominant force"

Economic cooperation

In September 2003, the heads of government of the SCO member countries signed Program of multilateral trade and economic cooperation for 20 years. As a long-term goal, the creation of a free trade zone in the SCO is envisaged, and in the short term - an increase in the flow of goods in the region. Cooperation should cover areas energy, transport, Agriculture, telecommunications, environmental protection, etc. An action plan for the development of cooperation was signed a year later, in September 2004. (Komissina I.N., Kurtov A.A. Shanghai Cooperation Organization. - P.288) A special place in economic relations SCO countries are occupied by China. Every year it has a more serious effect on the economic situation in the region, stimulates cooperation between the SCO countries in this area, insisting on the creation of a free trade zone, and at the same time the creation of infrastructure for trade and investment (Komissina I.N., Kurtov A.A. Shanghai Cooperation Organization. - S. 281, 287)

Drawing in the economies of countries Central Asian region(CAR) into the orbit of its economic interests, the PRC considers them primarily as reliable markets for its goods. It is from the point of view of expanding trade cooperation that China actively supports the entry of the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization into World Trade Organization(Komissina I.N., Kurtov A.A. Shanghai Cooperation Organization. - P. 282)
The idea put forward V. V. Putin at the Shanghai summit in June 2006 on the creation of the SCO Energy Club as a mechanism that brings together producers, consumers and transit countries of energy resources, was supported by the rest of the heads of state. Specific decisions on implementation were made at a meeting of heads of government in Dushanbe, in particular, the head of the Russian government M. Fradkov proposed the creation of an International Center for the Provision of Nuclear Fuel Cycle Services within the framework of the SCO. In addition to Russia, China and Kazakhstan are also taking active steps to develop the energy sector in the region. The possibility of Iran's participation in energy transit is not ruled out, in which case, the share of the SCO gas market will confidently exceed half of the world volume. ( Bolyatko A.V. Shanghai Cooperation Organization: Toward New Frontiers of Development // Shanghai Cooperation Organization: Toward New Frontiers of Development: Materials are round. table. - M.: In-t Daln. Vost. RAN, 2008. - S. 12-41.)

Cultural and humanitarian cooperation

In the Declaration on the Establishment of the SCO, the participating countries also declared the need to develop cultural cooperation.
For the first time the ministers of culture of the participating countries met in Beijing April 12th 2002. The governments of the states actively supported the holding of the Days of Culture, the participation of art groups and artists. Since then humanitarian cooperation is gradually intensifying: joint events are held to coincide with significant historical dates of the SCO member countries, student and faculty exchanges are practiced, and attempts are being made to create joint training centers. (Komissina I.N., Kurtov A.A. Shanghai Cooperation Organization. - P.291)

SCO ACTIVITIES in 2006

June 15, 2006 - The fifth anniversary SCO summit was held in Shanghai (China). As a result of the summit, 10 documents were signed:

Declaration of the fifth anniversary of the SCO;
Decision "About General Secretary SCO” - from that moment on, the highest official of the Organization is not the executive, but the Secretary General;
Decision "On the Regulations on the SCO Secretariat" - according to the document, the secretariat "carries out coordination, information-analytical, legal, financial and organizational support for the activities of the Organization, controls the implementation of decisions of the SCO bodies";
Decision "On Approval of the Program of Cooperation of the SCO Member States in Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism for 2007-2009";
Agreement on the procedure for organizing and conducting joint anti-terrorist measures on the territory of the SCO states;
Agreement on cooperation in the field of identifying and blocking the channels of penetration into the territory of the SCO states, of persons involved in terrorist, separatist and extremist activities;
Statement on International Information Security;
Agreement on cooperation in the field of education;
Protocol on the results of the founding session of the SCO Business Council;
Action Program in support of regional economic cooperation between member banks of the Interbank Association (IBC) within the framework of the SCO.

SCO ACTIVITIES in 2007
May 2007 BISHKEK

Joint command and staff exercises "Issyk-Kul - Antiterror 2007" were held in Kyrgyzstan with the participation of representatives of law enforcement agencies and special services of the countries participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
The exercises took place in three stages. In their course, joint actions of security agencies and special services were worked out to identify, localize and neutralize members of terrorist organizations, and strengthen the protection of state borders. In addition, the exercise plan includes a military operation to block and destroy a group of mock terrorists, as well as special operation for the release of conditional hostages. The exercise was attended by representatives of the regional anti-terrorist structure of the SCO, the Organization of the Treaty on collective security, the Anti-Terrorist Center of the CIS, the special services of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and the official delegates of countries with the status of SCO observers - Pakistan, Iran, India and Mongolia.

July 2007 Beijing.

Over 4,000 servicemen from China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan took part in joint exercises.

Apart from the "three forces of evil", no one else, no countries and no organizations should worry about the forthcoming exercises of the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) "Peace Mission-2007". This, according to the newspaper "Renmin Ribao", said the head of the research center of the Chinese Society for Arms Control and Disarmament.

“The exercises of the SCO countries, regardless of whether they are held in a bilateral format or on a multilateral basis, do not have a conditional enemy in the form of any state or bloc. The focus of the exercise is on countering non-traditional security threats; the purpose of the exercises is to increase the capabilities in the fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism, aimed at ensuring peace and stability in the region,” the expert emphasized.

Academy Professor national defense(PLA) Ouyang Wei pointed out that a military alliance is being created to jointly counter a certain security threat, and the SCO aims to strengthen effective cooperation between member countries in political, economic, scientific and technical, cultural spheres, in the field of education, energy, transport, environmental protection. Both experts expressed confidence that the SCO will not turn into a military alliance and will not pose a threat to any other countries and regions.

August 2007 CHELYABINSK. The official opening of the joint anti-terrorist exercise "Peace Mission-2007" of the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) took place today at the Chebarkul training ground in the Chelyabinsk region. About 6,000 servicemen from Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan took part in the anti-terrorist exercise of the SCO countries "Peace Mission-2007", which will last until August 17. Russia was represented by a grouping of about 2,000 servicemen, the Chinese - 1,700, each company from Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, and a platoon of special forces from Kyrgyzstan. From Uzbekistan, the designation troops were not involved, the Uzbek army is represented by 20 officers in the headquarters of the exercise.

SCO Secretary General Rashid Alimov prefaced his interview with a TASS correspondent with this definition when he spoke about the significance of the SCO Charter in connection with the forthcoming 15th anniversary of this fundamental document adopted at the summit in St. Petersburg on June 7, 2002. On this occasion, Beijing, where the headquarters of the SCO is located, hosted a symposium dedicated to the history, current realities and development prospects of the organization.

- Rashid Kutbiddinovich, what did the adoption of the Charter mean at that time, what was its meaning?

- The SCO Charter was of decisive importance for the formation of that model of cooperation, which from year to year confirms its effectiveness. In the jubilee year, it is especially useful to take another close look at this historic document, primarily from the point of view of its contribution to the practice of international relations and the role it plays in the fate of the organization, and the impact that the SCO has on maintaining peace and stability in the region and on the planet. Today, no one has any doubts that the SCO Charter, by defining the goals and key areas of cooperation, laying a solid legal basis functioning of the organization, presented the world with a vivid example of a new reading of the universally recognized foundations of interstate interaction.

- What are they based on? similar judgments?

- First of all, the SCO is one of the few multi-profile international associations, initially and entirely built in the format of a multilateral partnership. This is the dignity of the organization and its attractiveness. The charter is almost the first international practice a public legal document that establishes the model of universal partnership as a fundamental characteristic of an international association.

This innovation makes it possible to call the SCO an international organization of a new type. If we recall the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century, then there were no ready-made "patterns", especially an exemplary model range of regional partnership. Even the term itself has not yet gained wide acceptance in the international lexicon. It can be said without exaggeration that a large, painstaking and creative work on the formation of the SCO, including the preparation of the Charter, was largely pioneering.

- How is the "SCO type" partnership different?

The closer the coordination, the deeper the mutual understanding; the stronger equality is observed, the stronger and more effective the partnership becomes

- Partnership is, rather, active cooperative interaction based on the joint definition of areas of convergence of interests, the equivalence of opinions of all together and each separately, regardless of the political and economic weight categories of actors, while fully preserving and respecting the independence of partnership subjects in their internal affairs and external politics. Not lining up in one line, but mutual understanding; not dominance, but equality and coordination can be called the key elements of partnership. The closer the coordination, the deeper the mutual understanding; the more equitable it is, the stronger and more effective the partnership becomes.

- Why don't we call partnership within the framework of the SCO an alliance?

– It must be borne in mind that a partnership is different from a traditional alliance. Military-political alliances are inherent in very high degree political interdependence, as well as a certain isolation due to the fact that usually an alliance implies a kind of mobilization readiness to counter someone. This is not a classic economic integration pursuing the goal of maximum unification, which requires the delegation of a significant part of sovereign prerogatives to supranational bureaucratic institutions.

In this regard, it is appropriate to recall that at the time of the adoption of the SCO Charter, the world was experiencing serious cataclysms in the international environment and the Charter became a kind of collective response to the ongoing events of the founding states, which basic principles new association proclaimed mutual respect for sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, inviolability of state borders; non-aggression, non-interference in internal affairs, non-use of force or threat of force in international relations; renunciation of unilateral military superiority; equality, mutual understanding and respect for opinions; peaceful resolution of disagreements between Member States; non-direction against other states and international organizations; prevention of any illegal actions directed against the interests of the SCO; conscientious performance obligations arising from the Charter and other documents adopted within the organization.

– What is the characteristic of the SCO model in this case?

All decisions taken within the framework of the SCO are the result of crystallization and unification of the views, opinions and approaches of the founding states

– An integral feature of the SCO partner model is its transparency and non-direction against anyone. The SCO adheres to a line that excludes bloc, ideological and confrontational approaches to solving urgent international and regional problems. The organization strictly follows the principles enshrined in the SCO Charter, including non-direction of the SCO against other states and international organizations; actively develops contacts and cooperation with international and regional organizations, especially with the UN and its specialized agencies. Another progressive postulate of the Charter, which has not lost its relevance to this day, is the consensus decision-making model.

It emphasizes the exclusive equality of all members of the association, regardless of potential and opportunities. All decisions taken within the framework of the SCO are the result of crystallization and unification of the views, opinions and approaches of the founding states. Thus, it is legitimate to consider the SCO a clear example of a partnership association of a consensus type.

Does everyone understand and accept this?

- It should be noted that in various expert circles there are those who are inclined to dispute the effectiveness of such a model, often emphasizing its inability to ensure the proper level of efficiency of the organization. In addition, there are opinions that the consensus principle can also lead to blocking by the "minority" of decisions agreed by the majority of the participants, a kind of veto right. I believe that this is a special topic, including for scientific discussions and research. However, if we go a little deeper into the analysis of this topic, we can see that, unlike the right of veto, which is based on the irresistibility of a negative vote, the consensus rule focuses on the joint search for a complex, generally acceptable positive solution, which is the total result of the maximum possible combination of sovereign rights, own interests and common goals.

If such a combination does not add up quickly, then this does not mean a "stop signal", the cessation of further efforts in the direction taken to finally find the common denominator. In other words, the effectiveness of the consensus rule should be considered not from the point of view of the process, but from the point of view of the final result. It serves as an incentive for constant co-creation, because it has a significant potential for flexibility, which follows from the relevant articles of the Charter and finds expression in the practice of its implementation at all levels of the SCO mechanisms.

– To what extent is the "Shanghai spirit" that underlies the organization's activities embodied in the Charter?

– Considering the decision-making system within the SCO from different angles, it is also important to keep in mind such a key concept enshrined in the Charter as the "Shanghai spirit", the main content of which is mutual trust and benefit, equality, mutual consultations, respect for the diversity of cultures and civilizations, striving for joint development. This unique principle is considered to be the pivotal one in the development of cooperation between the six states as a new model of regional cooperation. Today, there is no doubt that, being the main integral concept and the most important principle of the SCO, the "Shanghai spirit" has enriched the theory and practice of modern international cooperation, putting into practice the universal desire of the world community to democratize international relations.

– Doesn't the "consensus" decision-making model in the SCO mean that someone will try to "pull the blanket over himself", pushing through the necessary decisions?

- Practice shows that the model operating within the framework of the SCO works in such a way that, no matter how acute the issue, each side seeks to find a way to mutual agreement, which is clearly expressed in the ability to listen, hear and listen to each other. In my opinion, such a system of relationships was most succinctly described by the ancient Chinese thinker Confucius, who said: "Noble men make friends when they disagree, and insignificant people quarrel when they are of one mind." This is the uniqueness of the organization, in which the interests of each of the parties can and do match the interests of all.

In my opinion, such a system of relationships was most succinctly described by the ancient Chinese thinker Confucius, who said: "Noble men make friends when they disagree, and insignificant people quarrel when they are of one mind"

Today, the SCO is an example of the possibilities not only for the coexistence of states of different scale, weight and structure, belonging to different cultural and national traditions. It creates favorable conditions for the combination of goals and values, the productive establishment and development of inter-civilizational dialogue, the establishment of a culture of communication focused on obtaining a joint and mutually beneficial result. Another important feature of the Charter was that it laid down the universal nature of the future organization, or, in other words, the principle of multi-format interaction. Thus, the Charter, in fact, identified four driving forces of the SCO: cooperation in the field of politics and security, in the economic sphere, in the field of cultural and humanitarian interaction, and most importantly, the invariable desire of all founding countries for joint development as a summary indicator of the other three components. parts and the main synergetic landmark of their integrated implementation.

- At the very beginning, the SCO was built as an organization that strengthens regional security. Isn't this initial motive now receding into the background, can we say that the task of ensuring security in the region has already been completed?

- It's no secret that sustainable development is impossible without ensuring the proper level of security. The changing nature of contemporary challenges and threats continues to require close attention. The SCO was created for the sake of the development and prosperity of the peoples living in the area of the organization, and that is why the Charter identified joint counteraction to terrorism, separatism and extremism in all their manifestations, an uncompromising fight against drug trafficking and weapons trafficking, and other types of transnational criminal activity among the key priorities of the association. activities, as well as illegal migration.

The changing nature of modern challenges and threats continues to require close attention

Being a key area of the SCO's work, the cooperation of the member states in the field of ensuring regional security and stability has made it possible to achieve significant results. Today, the space of the organization is characterized by a stable environment, which is provided joint work member states to counter modern security challenges and threats. It was for these purposes that the Charter institutionalized the most important permanent body of the SCO - the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), which became the main platform for interaction between the competent authorities of the member states.

For example, only in 2011-2015. the competent authorities of the SCO member states, with the coordinating role of the SCO RATS, prevented 20 terrorist attacks at the preparation stage; about 650 terrorist and extremist crimes have been suppressed; 440 terrorist training bases and about 1,700 members of international terrorist organizations have been eliminated; more than 2,700 members of illegal armed groups, their accomplices and persons suspected of criminal activity were detained; extradited 213 persons involved in the activities of terrorist and extremist organizations, many of whom were sentenced to long terms of imprisonment; 180 persons are put on the wanted list; 600 caches and caches of weapons were discovered, more than 3,250 improvised explosive devices, about 10,000 weapons, about 450,000 pieces of ammunition and more than 52 tons of explosives were confiscated. Purposeful work is being carried out on an ongoing basis to counter the use of the Internet for terrorist, separatist and extremist purposes.

– But after all, business interaction between the SCO countries within the framework of the organization also has importance?

- The trade and economic sphere is also defined by the SCO Charter as one of the driving forces of the organization. The joint development of infrastructure, communications, the implementation of multilateral projects in order to increase the well-being and improve the quality of life of people are a fundamental task in the interaction of member states within the framework of the SCO. To address practical issues of an economic nature, the Charter determined the establishment of regular meetings of heads of line ministries and/or departments of member states. Through joint efforts, the SCO member states are implementing infrastructure projects: automobile and railways, bridges and transport crossings. For 15 years, the number of regular flights between the SCO member states has increased many times over. For example, weekly air traffic from Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Uzbekistan more than quadrupled to China alone, eight times from Tajikistan, and twelve times from Kazakhstan. Mutual accumulated investments of the SCO member states are growing, which by 2016 exceeded $40 billion.

Mutual accumulated investments of the SCO member states are growing, which by 2016 exceeded $40 billion

Of particular importance for the development of economic cooperation is the Agreement of the SCO Member States on the Creation of Favorable Conditions for International Road Transport, which formalized the legal framework for parity conditions for road carriers and laid a uniform basis for international road transport from Eastern Europe to east coasts Russia and China. The practical implementation of the Agreement will undoubtedly give a new impetus to the construction of new and reconstruction of existing sections of roads as part of international transport routes, and the development of trade.

– What can be said about the humanitarian cooperation of the SCO countries, what role does it play, and is humanitarian cooperation not lost in the shadow of other priority tasks?

- The key basis for strengthening mutual trust, friendship and good-neighborliness between the SCO member states is humanitarian cooperation. The stable dialogue of different cultures and civilizations established within the framework of the SCO contributes to their mutual knowledge, enrichment and, ultimately, greater mutual understanding of the peoples of the SCO member states. This is the main civilizational mission of the organization, it is successfully implemented thanks to integrated approach reflected in its founding document. The SCO Charter, originally aimed at building a democratic and fair architecture of international relations, has created a world precedent within the framework of a largely unique inter-civilizational organization that eliminates the possibility of a conflict of civilizations in the region of its responsibility.

– Can we say that the SCO serves as an example for other states and regions in building relations between countries and peoples?

- The SCO is called upon to assist sovereign participants in matching positions and approaches regarding topical international problems and regional tasks, to concentrate efforts on common goals in accordance with the principles of voluntary cooperation and equal cooperation. This feature of the SCO, along with pronounced democratic principles of functioning, makes it the object of growing close interest in the international community. Evidence of this is the growing number of people wishing to join the activities of the organization.

– What can you say about the near future of the SCO?

- The SCO consistently implements the principle of openness enshrined in the Charter. Today, the organization is on the verge of accepting new powerful and authoritative states in the international community - India and Pakistan, whose entry will significantly strengthen the SCO, expand its potential and opportunities. The organization will become the most powerful trans-regional structure, uniting more than 44% of the world's population in the space from the Arctic to the Indian Ocean from north to south and from Liyanyungang to Kaliningrad from east to west.

Today, the organization is on the verge of accepting new powerful and authoritative states in the international community - India and Pakistan, whose entry will significantly strengthen the SCO, expand its potential and opportunities.

It becomes obvious that this new phenomenon in the life of the organization will require serious reconfiguration and adaptation. internal activities. Such work is already underway with potential full members of the organization. The first steps are encouraging, they testify that India and Pakistan, taking into account their weight in regional and world affairs, will make their significant contribution to strengthening the organization and the effectiveness of its activities. At the same time, in accordance with the principle of non-direction of the organization against other states and international associations, enshrined in the SCO Charter, the SCO continues to actively develop contacts and the international cooperation bringing a creative beginning to world affairs.

– And all this is connected with the SCO Charter?

– Summing up summary understanding of some of the most important conceptual elements of the SCO Charter, I would like to call for the continuation of an in-depth analysis of this legal phenomenon - a document that has become, in fact, a new word in international practice. I am convinced that an inquisitive mind, delving into the details, will always find new interesting features and opportunities, will see new perspectives. I want to emphasize once again, in my opinion, the main feature of the model of a new type of international organization, which crystallized thanks to the fundamental provisions of the SCO Charter and the joint efforts of the member states of the organization to implement them.

Its essence is that in the SCO there is not and cannot be anyone's dominance, elements of pressure or coercion, there are no winners or losers, there is only a common solidarity result. The organization has built one of the world's largest systems of regional cooperation with an emphasis on guaranteeing political stability, strengthening security, expanding economic cooperation, joint development and prosperity of the peoples of the SCO. I am convinced that such foundations will in the future become reliable bonds of friendship and cooperation among the entire progressive part of the international community.

Interviewed Andrey Kirillov, Beijing