HOPES FOR ALTERNATIVE

On September 15-16, the ancient Uzbek city of Samarkand hosted one of the largest international events ever held in Central Asia - the 22nd summit of heads of state, partners and observers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Diverse countries

As expected, the event and its participants were on spotlight of all major media outlets, especially at such a difficult time in the international arena. The summit received a wide variety of assessments. It seemed that everyone assessed it exactly as they wanted to do. In general, the summit was seen as an alternative to the unipolar system of international relations. As for the outcome of the Samarkand discussions, it is clear that they will be adjusted in line with the development of international geopolitical and economic situation. 

Since its inception back in 2001 SCO has been repeatedly said to gradually fade away. There were two objective reasons, which are still valid today. Firstly, the organisation unites too many and too diverse countries that differ in terms of their objectives, ideologies, civilisational and cultural traditions, territories, development models, opportunities and potentials. Secondly, many member states or partners of the SCO have had conflicts or serious problems with other member states, which cannot a priori promote trust within the structure. Both reasons are true. SCO brings together emerging economies representing approximately 60% of Eurasia, half the world's population, and 30% of global GDP at purchasing power parity. Therefore, all the member states of this large association simply cannot follow the same direction.

However, the world has been changing rapidly and unpredictably. What once seemed to be a weakness can suddenly become a source of strength. It seems that the time has come to get rid of the Cold War mindset and ideological biases. The first time it happened immediately after the collapse of the USSR, when there was hope for more or less peaceful coexistence of the humankind. With the unipolar system slowly degrading and the serious discussions on who is going to start a nuclear war first, it is clear that the classical confrontation will soon be a thing of the past along with the blurring boundaries of what we used to define as an ‘ally’ or ‘foe’. This state of international system has its positive and negative sides, but that’s the way it is.

SCO can be a bright example of the ongoing trend. For example, Russia and China seem to have reaffirmed their commitment to bilateral cooperation to counter the authority of the West. Nevertheless, Russia and China can hardly be called classical allies for a number of well-known reasons. The same is true for alliances between Russia and Turkey, Russia and Iran, Turkey and Iran, India and China, China and Pakistan. Moreover, the large and diverse region covered by the SCO member states contains a very problematic and specific state—Afghanistan. In other words, the once popular principle of ‘the enemies of my friends are my enemies’ is seriously outdated.

New partners and Azerbaijan

Two of the truly remarkable events of the Samarkand summit were the decision of Iran to join the organisation, as well as the start of necessary procedures for the integration of Belarus. In addition, SCO members granted Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar the status of dialogue partners and agreed to accept Bahrain, Maldives, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Myanmar as new dialogue partners. The accession of Iran (80 million citizens) can be described as a significant step forward for the organisation. Experts now speculate about the advantages that Tehran's logistical, energy and resource capabilities can bring into the SCO.

The participation of Recep Tayyip Erdogan—the president of a country that has recently been playing an increasingly important role in Europe, the Middle East and Asia—made the Samarkand summit particularly dynamic and intriguing. Many agreed that Erdogan's focus on SCO signalled the organisation's growing influence, and that Turkey has prudently assessed the SCO's prospects as an organisation that could play a more prominent role in the world. It therefore came as no surprise to anyone that the Turkish president’s participation was demonstration of the likelihood of Ankara joining the organisation. "The next step ahead is the most advanced stage of our cooperation. This step will probably be on the agenda of SCO’s next summit in India," Erdogan told reporters at the end of the Samarkand summit.

President Ilham Aliyev also attended the summit, as Azerbaijan currently holds the status of a dialogue partner in the SCO. Azerbaijan signed a memorandum with the SCO back in 2016. the document covers various areas of cooperation, including combating terrorism, extremism and separatism, and ensuring regional security and stability. Issues such as inter-civilisation dialogue, multiculturalism and promotion of tolerance are also of particular importance to Azerbaijan. Baku's role in these areas has been highly recognised at various international platforms.

In his address to the summit participants, President Aliyev said that Azerbaijan made a significant contribution to launching regional communication projects such as the East-West and North-South corridors. "The Baku International Sea Trade Port currently has a cargo throughput capacity of 15 million tonnes per year, which can be increased to 25 million tonnes. In the first seven months of 2022, transit through Azerbaijan increased by almost 50%. With 52 vessels, Azerbaijan has the largest civilian cargo fleet in the Caspian basin. The Baku shipyard can produce all types of vessels. Over the last 20 years Azerbaijan has built or overhauled 19,000 km of roads, 1,400 km of railways. Azerbaijan is building thousands of kilometres of roads and hundreds of kilometres of railways in the territories liberated from occupation after the Second Garabagh War in 2020. Azerbaijan has one of the largest civilian air cargo fleets in the region (18 aircraft). The number of international airports by the end of 2024 will increase from 7 to 9," President Aliyev said. He added that the settlement of the Garabagh conflict in late 2020 has created new opportunities for the development of transport and communication projects in the region. The opening of the Zangezur corridor will further increase transportation opportunities and be beneficial for all countries along the route.

Significant decisions

The summit participants signed the Samarkand Declaration, which fixes the positions of member states on the most important regional and global issues. The SCO leaders noted that "today the world is undergoing global changes, entering a new era of rapid development and sweeping transformation". They also reaffirmed their "commitment to the establishment of a more representative, democratic, just and multipolar world order". The SCO members have agreed to strengthen security and jointly fight terrorism, confirmed their commitment to develop common principles and approaches to compile a unified list of terrorist, separatist and extremist organisations banned in member states. Notably, the organisation's members noted the "inadmissibility of interference in the internal affairs of states under the pretext of combating terrorism and extremism, as well as the inadmissibility of the use of terrorist, extremist and radical groups for selfish purposes and objectives”. As for Afghanistan, the participants stated that they considered it extremely important to establish an inclusive government in the country that includes representatives of all ethnic, religious and political groups of the Afghan society.

There were also many bilateral meetings during the Samarkand summit. Remarkably, although the SCO is also dubbed as the 'Eastern NATO', it is neither a military nor a political alliance. The SCO does not require its members to spend more on defence but prioritises economic cooperation. The main concern of the summit participants is to establish communication channels and logistics.

According to the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it is necessary to develop reliable, sustainable and diversified supply chains, which will require better understanding and communication. On the other hand, such economic and logistical integration promotes multipolarity because Western dominance is built largely on the control of major transit routes. In this context it is worth mentioning BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), which has three members of the SCO.

It is safe to say that despite critical differences in political systems, SCO members continue to meet, hold discussions, develop, and make plans. Chinese President Xi Jinping has expressed a pragmatic intention to turn the organisation into a 'community of shared destiny'. He also noted that the world is facing "tremendous changes unprecedented in history". "Humanity needs to find a sure path to peace," was the general thesis outlined by Narendra Modi. Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about the irreversible changes in global politics and the increasing role of new centres of power. Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev called for constructive dialogue to jointly tackle threats to stability and security, as well as challenges such as climate change, water and natural resource scarcity, the socio-economic impact of the pandemic, the crisis of energy and food security. Ilham Aliyev assured everyone that Azerbaijan would continue to follow the principles of international law, justice and global security. Almost all participants of the Samarkand summit expressed their views in this spirit as well.

SCO members and partners remain united as they are all located in the same region, linked by common problems and opportunities, and therefore have an interest in stable and progressive development. The organisation has the potential to meet global challenges and can thus transform itself from a regional to a global one.