Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit opens in Tianjin with 21 nations participating

The annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has commenced in Tianjin, China.

The large-scale annual summit brought together leaders from 21 countries and representatives of over 10 international organizations.

The event is set to adopt key documents of the member states, including the organisation's development strategy for the next decade.

The SCO was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by six countries: Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. Today, the SCO has expanded to include 10 full member states: Russia, Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Currently, Afghanistan and Mongolia hold observer status, while 15 countries are recognised as dialogue partners, including Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, Cambodia, Armenia, Qatar, Kuwait, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Sri Lanka

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) aims to promote regional stability and security, foster economic cooperation, strengthen energy partnerships, and advance scientific and cultural collaboration across member states. Since 2002, annual meetings of the heads of member states have been held consistently. The SCO has convened 23 summits hitherto.

Azerbaijan, known for its active engagement in international and regional organisations, has significantly expanded its cooperation with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in recent years. The decision to grant Azerbaijan dialogue partner status was made during the SCO Summit held in Ufa in July 2015. The scope of collaboration between Azerbaijan and the SCO was formally outlined in a memorandum signed in 2016.