SCO Astana Summit 2024: New Era or Tectonic Shift?

The Astana Summit 2024 hosted the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on July 3-4, 2024. The summit addressed key regional issues and provided a platform to advocate for dialogue and diplomacy. Moreover, the Council of Heads of State of the SCO adopted the Astana Declaration and approved 25 strategic documents covering energy, security, trade, finance, and information security. In addition to that, counter-terrorism remained a key focus. Moreover, Pakistan will host the SCO heads of government meeting in October 2024. The two-day conference has been scheduled for October 15 -16, 2024. At this moment, the point to stew over is what the SCO summit signifies.

The Astana Declaration

According to the Astana Times, during the summit, SCO member states endorsed the Initiative on World Unity for a Just Peace, Harmony, and Development, initially proposed by Kazakhstan. According to the Astana Declaration, member states underscored the SCO’s role in bolstering global peace, and security, shaping a new democratic, equitable international political and economic order, and inviting the global community to join the initiative.

In an interview with the Chinese agency Xinhua, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan said he expects the final decisions of the summit to fully embody the “fundamental principles of the Shanghai spirit – mutual trust, friendship, mutual benefit, and consideration of each other’s interests.” Furthermore, with the summit’s conclusion, the People’s Republic of China will assume the SCO chairmanship for the next term. Qingdao will be appointed the SCO’s tourism and cultural capital for 2024-2025.

Who Attended The Astana Summit 2024?

In addition to Putin and Xi, the summit hosted President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Other leaders invited were Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, President Emomali Rakhmon of Tajikistan, and President Sadyr Zhaparov of Kyrgyzstan.  Moreover, President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus attended SCO because his nation is becoming a full member. Iran’s acting President Mohammad Mokhbar also attended. Other guests of the SCO include President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, and U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres.

Also See: From Eagle’s Grip to SCO-Led Multipolarity?

What SCO Leaders Were Not There in The Astana Summit 2024?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India has sent his foreign minister. Indian media reports speculated the recently reelected Modi was busy with the parliament session that began a week prior. He attended the recent Group of Seven summit in Italy, and some reports also speculated he wants to balance India’s relationship with Russia and the West. The tangible reason remains that India wants to balance its relationship with trading partner Russia and its ally, the US. Furthermore, in 2023, India hosted the summit virtually—a muted arrangement that allowed Modi to avoid the optics of welcoming Putin and Xi to New Delhi while seeking closer ties with the US.

Statements of The Leaders at The SCO Astana Summit 2024

• Putin said the ‘SCO was strengthening its role as one of the key pillars of a fair multipolar world order. However, he maintained that the cooperation is not aimed against anyone, we are not creating any blocs or alliances, and we are just acting in the interests of our people.
• Moreover, on 4 July Thursday in a Press briefing, Taliban Russian President Vladimir Putin affirmed the Taliban’s role as allies in the fight against terrorism.
• Russia has sought to show it is not isolated on the international stage amid its continuing invasion of Ukraine, despite being the target of a torrent of sanctions and pressure from Western countries.
• According to China Daily, Xi stated, ‘We should build a common home of prosperity and development. China proposes that 2025 be designated as the SCO Year of Sustainable Development to help us focus on fostering new forces for growth’.
• China has been repeatedly criticized for what the US and Western allies have called its increasingly assertive actions in the Asia Pacific region and its policy towards Taiwan, the self-governing island it claims as its own.
• During their last meeting in Beijing, Putin and Xi covenanted to deepen ties, while taking veiled swipes at international organizations and blocs including the United Nations, the G20, and the North Atlantic Trade Organization (NATO).
• Turkish President Erdogan said, ‘The conflict in Gaza is a part of the failure of a current unfair system and call for action to resolve it and Israel must sign a permanent ceasefire and also sympathize with the new establishing world order’.
• Erdogan also met with Putin, who’s expected visits to Turkey haven’t materialized. The leader of the NATO member has balanced relations with both Russia and Ukraine since the war began, frequently offering to serve as a mediator.
• Antonio Guterres said, ’Immediate humanitarian ceasefire is needed in the Middle East to end the conflict, bloodshed and a clear roadmap for two-state solution’.

Origins of SCO

The SCO originated with the Shanghai Five. Formed in 1996, the initial group including China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan sprang from border talks between China and former Soviet republics. However, Turkmenistan is the only former Soviet Republic that is not a member of SCO. Due to the Ashgabat policy of’ Positive Neutrality’ it did not join SCO.

Developments in SCO

In the succeeding years, its regular summits expanded in scope to encompass a wider range of issues beyond borders and security. On 15^th June 2001, the SCO was formally launched with the inclusion of Uzbekistan and a shift in focus to regional security, with an eye on Afghanistan and counterterrorism.

• The SCO now has nine members, including India, Iran, and Pakistan, in addition to the founding members.
• There are three observer states – Afghanistan, Belarus, and Mongolia, and 14 dialogue partners, including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye.
• India and Pakistan joined the group in 2017, marking its first major expansion and setting a new tone even as it brought major bilateral flashpoints into the group.
•  Iran became a member last year in 2023, amid a summit that was held virtually by host India.
• The expected admission of Belarus to the SCO is another push by Beijing and Moscow to transform the grouping – from a regional security bloc into a geopolitical counterweight to Western institutions led by the United States and its allies. After the addition of Belarus, the SCO will have 40% of the world population, and member states contribute $23 trillion to global GDP.

Astana Summit 2024: Membership of Belarus

According to Cable News Network (CNN), Eva Seiwert, an expert on China’s foreign policy at the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS) in Berlin said: “The expected admission of Belarus, which borders the European Union, really highlights how the SCO’s mission has changed in the last few years. Unlike Iran, you don’t get much economic or security cooperation out of Belarus joining. And that’s why I argue that it’s more of a geopolitical move.”

SCO Engagement in Multi-Trajectory Diplomacy

Bates Gill a senior fellow from the National Bureau of Asian Research commenting on the anti-western orientation of SCO told CNN: “In some respects, it puts the Central Asian states in a very awkward position. They are pursuing what they like to call multi-trajectory diplomacy. They do not want to be committed to only dealing with one major power, like Russia or China.”

Nigel Gould–Davies, a senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia with the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, speaking to The Associated Press news agency, noted: “SCO has significant security differences between its members. However, he said the organization’s principal value was in the optics of non-Western countries coming together”.

For host Kazakhstan and the other Central Asian nations, the meeting is a way to further their cooperation with bigger, more powerful neighbors. Kazakhstan, recurrently engages with both neighboring Russia and China, while also pursuing links with the West. For instance, this is evident from this year’s visits from U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Cameron.

Is SCO a growing clique led by Xi and Putin to counter the US? The SCO provides a platform of dialogue and alternative to the Western-led institutions. However, this is yet to be unfolded how far the SCO will go in this multipolar world. The SCO is a platform of dialogue and an alternative to Western-led institutions. However, this is yet to be revealed how SCO will remain substantial in this multipolar world.

The views expressed in this write-up are the author’s own. They do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of the South Asia Times.

Mishaal Malik

Mishaal Malik, presently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in International Relations at Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU), serves as a Research Associate at South Asia Times (SAT). Mishaal demonstrates a commitment to scholarly inquiry, particularly focusing on research related to South Asia and East Asia. She can be reached on X, formerly Twitter at @MishaalMalik502.

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