{ "$schema_note": "Structured tabular data behind the IPDS SCO Observatory. Narrative entries (summit-by-summit declaration text, country dossier notes, institution notes) are not included; see the live page for those. This file also powers the auto-updating Snapshot dashboard.", "source": "https://ipd.org.pk/research-publications/sco-observatory/", "publisher": "Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies, Centre for SCO Studies, Islamabad", "version": "2.6", "updated": "2026-09-05", "license_note": "Compiled from public sources; corrections welcome and will be logged with the version they change. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect the position of the institution.", "headline_stats": { "combined_land_area_km2": "34.8m", "combined_land_area_note": "About a quarter of the world's land surface and roughly 65 per cent of the Eurasian landmass", "combined_population": "3.47bn", "combined_population_note": "About 42 per cent of humanity", "combined_gdp_ppp_usd": "$71.1tn", "combined_gdp_ppp_note": "About 36 per cent of the world economy", "combined_gdp_nominal_usd": "$27.5tn", "heads_of_state_summits_held": 26, "full_member_states": 10, "observer_states": 2, "dialogue_partners": 15, "relations_with_other_organisations": 14, "founded": "15 June 2001, Shanghai", "current_chair": "Pakistan, 2026 to 2027", "next_summit": "Islamabad, 2027, date not announced" }, "datasets": { "heads_of_government_meetings": [ { "No.": "1", "Date": "14 September 2001", "City": "Almaty", "Host": "Kazakhstan" }, { "No.": "—", "Date": "2002", "City": "No meeting located", "Host": "" }, { "No.": "2", "Date": "23 September 2003", "City": "Beijing", "Host": "China" }, { "No.": "3", "Date": "23 September 2004", "City": "Bishkek", "Host": "Kyrgyzstan" }, { "No.": "4", "Date": "26 October 2005", "City": "Moscow", "Host": "Russia" }, { "No.": "5", "Date": "15 September 2006", "City": "Dushanbe", "Host": "Tajikistan" }, { "No.": "6", "Date": "2 November 2007", "City": "Tashkent", "Host": "Uzbekistan" }, { "No.": "7", "Date": "30 October 2008", "City": "Astana", "Host": "Kazakhstan" }, { "No.": "8", "Date": "14 October 2009", "City": "Beijing", "Host": "China" }, { "No.": "9", "Date": "25 November 2010", "City": "Dushanbe", "Host": "Tajikistan" }, { "No.": "10", "Date": "7 November 2011", "City": "St Petersburg", "Host": "Russia" }, { "No.": "11", "Date": "5 December 2012", "City": "Bishkek", "Host": "Kyrgyzstan" }, { "No.": "12", "Date": "29 November 2013", "City": "Tashkent", "Host": "Uzbekistan" }, { "No.": "13", "Date": "15 December 2014", "City": "Astana", "Host": "Kazakhstan" }, { "No.": "14", "Date": "15 December 2015", "City": "Zhengzhou", "Host": "China" }, { "No.": "15", "Date": "3 November 2016", "City": "Bishkek", "Host": "Kyrgyzstan" }, { "No.": "16", "Date": "30 November to 1 December 2017", "City": "Sochi", "Host": "Russia" }, { "No.": "17", "Date": "11 to 12 October 2018", "City": "Dushanbe", "Host": "Tajikistan" }, { "No.": "18", "Date": "2 November 2019", "City": "Tashkent", "Host": "Uzbekistan" }, { "No.": "19", "Date": "30 November 2020", "City": "Videoconference", "Host": "Chaired by India" }, { "No.": "20", "Date": "25 November 2021", "City": "Videoconference", "Host": "Chaired by Kazakhstan" }, { "No.": "21", "Date": "1 November 2022", "City": "Videoconference", "Host": "Chaired by China" }, { "No.": "22", "Date": "26 October 2023", "City": "Bishkek", "Host": "Kyrgyzstan" }, { "No.": "23", "Date": "15 to 16 October 2024", "City": "Islamabad", "Host": "Pakistan" }, { "No.": "24", "Date": "18 November 2025", "City": "Moscow", "Host": "Russia" }, { "No.": "25", "Date": "2026, not yet held", "City": "City not announced", "Host": "Tajikistan" } ], "members_compared": [ { "Member": "China", "Joined": "2001", "Budget share": "17.6%", "Land area, km²": "9,388,211", "Population": "1,412,914,089", "GDP nominal, $bn": "19,626" }, { "Member": "Russia", "Joined": "2001", "Budget share": "17.6%", "Land area, km²": "16,376,870", "Population": "143,394,458", "GDP nominal, $bn": "2,588" }, { "Member": "Kazakhstan", "Joined": "2001", "Budget share": "15.2%", "Land area, km²": "2,699,700", "Population": "21,083,626", "GDP nominal, $bn": "303" }, { "Member": "Uzbekistan", "Joined": "2001", "Budget share": "12.6%", "Land area, km²": "425,400", "Population": "37,724,223", "GDP nominal, $bn": "147" }, { "Member": "Kyrgyzstan", "Joined": "2001", "Budget share": "7.6%", "Land area, km²": "191,800", "Population": "7,400,465", "GDP nominal, $bn": "22" }, { "Member": "Tajikistan", "Joined": "2001", "Budget share": "6.0%", "Land area, km²": "139,960", "Population": "10,978,599", "GDP nominal, $bn": "18" }, { "Member": "India", "Joined": "2017", "Budget share": "5.9%", "Land area, km²": "2,973,190", "Population": "1,476,625,576", "GDP nominal, $bn": "3,916" }, { "Member": "Pakistan", "Joined": "2017", "Budget share": "5.9%", "Land area, km²": "770,880", "Population": "259,299,791", "GDP nominal, $bn": "408" }, { "Member": "Iran", "Joined": "2023", "Budget share": "5.8%", "Land area, km²": "1,628,550", "Population": "93,168,497", "GDP nominal, $bn": "371" }, { "Member": "Belarus", "Joined": "2024", "Budget share": "5.8%", "Land area, km²": "202,910", "Population": "8,937,018", "GDP nominal, $bn": "93" } ], "secretaries_general": [ { "No.": "1", "Name": "Zhang Deguang", "From": "China", "Term": "15 January 2004 to 31 December 2006" }, { "No.": "2", "Name": "Bolat Nurgaliyev", "From": "Kazakhstan", "Term": "1 January 2007 to 31 December 2009" }, { "No.": "3", "Name": "Muratbek Imanaliyev", "From": "Kyrgyzstan", "Term": "1 January 2010 to 31 December 2012" }, { "No.": "4", "Name": "Dmitry Mezentsev", "From": "Russia", "Term": "1 January 2013 to 31 December 2015" }, { "No.": "5", "Name": "Rashid Alimov", "From": "Tajikistan", "Term": "1 January 2016 to 31 December 2018" }, { "No.": "6", "Name": "Vladimir Norov", "From": "Uzbekistan", "Term": "1 January 2019 to 31 December 2021" }, { "No.": "7", "Name": "Zhang Ming", "From": "China", "Term": "1 January 2022 to 31 December 2024" }, { "No.": "8", "Name": "Nurlan Yermekbayev", "From": "Kazakhstan", "Term": "1 January 2025 to 31 December 2027, expected" } ], "rats_executive_committee_directors": [ { "No.": "1", "Name": "Vyacheslav Kasymov", "From": "Uzbekistan, not independently corroborated", "Term": "January 2004 to 31 December 2006" }, { "No.": "2", "Name": "Myrzakan Subanov", "From": "Kyrgyzstan", "Term": "1 January 2007 to 31 December 2009" }, { "No.": "3", "Name": "Dzhenisbek Dzhumanbekov", "From": "Kazakhstan", "Term": "1 January 2010 to 31 December 2012" }, { "No.": "4", "Name": "Zhang Xinfeng", "From": "China", "Term": "Announced 9 January 2013 to About 31 December 2015" }, { "No.": "5", "Name": "Evgeny Sysoev", "From": "Russia", "Term": "2016, month not established to About 31 December 2018" }, { "No.": "6", "Name": "Jumakhon Giyosov", "From": "Tajikistan", "Term": "1 January 2019 to 31 December 2021" }, { "No.": "7", "Name": "Ruslan Mirzaev", "From": "Uzbekistan", "Term": "1 January 2022 to 31 December 2024" }, { "No.": "8", "Name": "Ularbek Sharsheev", "From": "Kyrgyzstan", "Term": "Appointed 26 December 2024 to 2027, expected" } ], "trade_and_financing": [ { "Metric": "Intra-SCO exports", "Figure": "$725bn, 15.3% of total member exports", "Year": "2024" }, { "Metric": "China's trade with other SCO members", "Figure": "≈$524bn", "Year": "2025" }, { "Metric": "China Development Bank loans outstanding to SCO IBC member banks", "Figure": "$2.05bn + ¥3.3bn outstanding, of $7.69bn + ¥3.34bn lent", "Year": "End 2017" }, { "Metric": "First SCO IBC loan and investment agreements signed", "Figure": "$742m, first batch", "Year": "2006" } ], "culture_education_agreements": [ { "Agreement": "Agreement on Cooperation in Education", "Date": "15 June 2006", "Signed at": "Shanghai", "Source": { "text": "SCO Secretariat, summit record (PDF) ↗ — CGTN, on the agreement's effect ↗", "hrefs": [ "https://eng.sectsco.org/images/07e8/0c/17/1627730.pdf", "https://news.cgtn.com/news/2022-09-15/SCO-promotes-educational-exchange-among-member-countries-1dlxvPzwFhK/index.html" ] } }, { "Agreement": "Agreement on Cooperation in Culture", "Date": "16 August 2007", "Signed at": "Bishkek", "Source": { "text": "SCO Secretariat, summit record (PDF) ↗", "href": "https://eng.sectsco.org/images/07e8/0c/17/1627871.pdf" } }, { "Agreement": "Agreement on Cooperation in Protecting Cultural Landmarks", "Date": "17 September 2021", "Signed at": "Dushanbe", "Source": "Not confirmed — secondary reporting only" } ], "sport_cooperation": [ { "Initiative": "'SCO Games'", "Status": "proposed", "Detail": "Russia's sports minister offered to host a dedicated SCO games at a meeting of member states' sports officials. No date, format or second host state was confirmed; this remains a proposal, not a scheduled event." }, { "Initiative": "SCO Marathon, Kunming", "Status": "discontinued", "Detail": "China held an SCO-branded marathon in Kunming for about four years before it was discontinued during the pandemic. Not revived in the sources checked." }, { "Initiative": "Cyber Sports Championship, Uzbekistan", "Status": "one-off", "Detail": "A university-level e-sports championship held in Uzbekistan, reported as a modest, single national initiative rather than an SCO-wide programme." } ], "market_access": [ { "Arrangement": "China–Pakistan Free Trade Agreement, Phase II", "Covers": "China, Pakistan", "Status": "In force since January 2020", "What it actually does": "China gives immediate duty-free access on 3,707 tariff lines (45% of the total), with a further 30% phasing to duty-free by 2030. Phase III talks, under way in 2026, focus on Pakistani textiles, minerals and meat products; Pakistan is seeking zero-tariff treatment on a further 700 lines." }, { "Arrangement": "Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU)", "Covers": "Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan — plus Belarus and Armenia, both outside the SCO", "Status": "Customs union in force since 2015", "What it actually does": "Goods move within the union without internal tariffs. This is not an SCO instrument: it is a separate bloc that happens to include three SCO members plus two non-members. A trader established in one member state gains access to all five without a further agreement." }, { "Arrangement": "China–EAEU Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation", "Covers": "China and the EAEU (covering Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan as SCO members)", "Status": "In force since 2019", "What it actually does": "A non-preferential agreement: it carries no tariff commitments. It covers customs cooperation, trade facilitation, intellectual property, e-commerce and government procurement, and is best read as a framework for reducing friction rather than a market-opening deal." }, { "Arrangement": "India, Iran and Belarus: no comparable bloc", "Covers": "India, Iran, Belarus", "Status": "No SCO-linked preferential arrangement identified", "What it actually does": "None of India, Iran or Belarus has a preferential trade arrangement with another SCO member that was identified during this research. A trader moving goods to or from these three faces the each country's standard external tariff schedule, not a reduced one." } ], "financial_architecture": [ { "Body": "SCO Interbank Consortium", "Stage": "operating", "What it actually is": "The only functioning SCO financial body. A network of member state banks, not a single institution; Iran's authorised banks are still not members three years after accession. Full record: Institutions." }, { "Body": "SCO Development Bank", "Stage": "declared", "What it actually is": "Proposed 2010, politically agreed at Tianjin 2025, still not established sixteen years on. Kyrgyzstan bids to host in Bishkek; Kazakhstan has offered Astana, conditionally. See the position tracker in How it works for where each side stands." }, { "Body": "SCO Development Fund, Special Account", "Stage": "declared", "What it actually is": "Tracked alongside the Development Bank in successive declarations since 2010; absent entirely from the Bishkek 2026 declaration. Full record: Institutions." }, { "Body": "SCO Association of Investors", "Stage": "agreed", "What it actually is": "Regulations approved 2024, inaugural session held in Astana, March 2025. Adopted a protocol and annual work plan; travels with the chairing state rather than occupying a fixed address." }, { "Body": "SCO Business Council", "Stage": "operating", "What it actually is": "Non-governmental. The practical route into SCO business circles for a chamber of commerce or investor: see Where to show up, below." } ], "trade_gaps": [ { "Relationship": "India – Pakistan — Both full SCO members since 2017", "Actual": "≈$2.3bn", "Estimated potential": "$37bn", "What is holding it back": "Pakistan maintains a negative list of 1,209 items barred from Indian import, and permits only 138 items through the Wagah-Attari land route. The World Bank attributes about four fifths of the unrealised value to the trust deficit between the two states rather than to tariffs alone." }, { "Relationship": "Afghanistan – Central Asia — Afghanistan holds no current SCO status; observer seat vacant since 2021", "Actual": "≈$1.7bn", "Estimated potential": "$10bn, Afghan government target", "What is holding it back": "Afghanistan has set a three to four year target of $10bn in trade with the five Central Asian states, as part of a stated pivot away from dependence on the Pakistan route. The gap is a target, not a modelled estimate, and rests on the connectivity projects in the next tab actually being built." } ], "special_economic_zones": [ { "Zone": "Khorgos – Eastern Gate SEZ", "Location": "Kazakhstan, on the Chinese border", "Status": "Operating, expanding", "Incentives and scale": "Import tariff, land tax, property tax and VAT exemptions inside the zone. Fifty six companies had projects worth over $1.8bn under way as of the sources checked. Being combined with four adjoining facilities into a wider 'Khorgos Hub', including the dry port rail terminal and border crossing. Targeted eventual freight handling of 30 million tonnes a year." }, { "Zone": "Gwadar Free Zone", "Location": "Pakistan, under CPEC", "Status": "Operating, tax holiday running", "Incentives and scale": "A 23-year corporate tax holiday from 1 July 2016 for businesses set up in the zone, plus exemption from provincial services, excise and property-transfer tax, 99-year land leases and a simplified investor visa process. Balochistan's provincial government has separately declared the wider Gwadar district tax-free; full federal tax-free status has been requested but not confirmed as granted in the sources checked." }, { "Zone": "Navoi and the wider Uzbek free economic zone network", "Location": "Uzbekistan — Navoi, plus Urgut, Gijduvan, Kokand, Termez, Namangan, Sirdaryo, Bukhoro-agro, Khazarasp, Andijan and dedicated pharmaceutical zones", "Status": "Operating", "Incentives and scale": "Navoi is a whole-region free economic zone; enterprises across the network are exempt from most taxes for a period of three to ten years depending on investment size, plus simplified customs procedures. The largest network of free zones any single SCO member operates." } ], "connectivity_projects": [ { "Project": "China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) — $60bn+ cumulative", "Route": "Kashgar, Xinjiang (China) to Gwadar Port (Balochistan, Pakistan)", "Participants": "China, Pakistan", "Status and detail": "operating, expanding — About 3,000km of highways, rail and pipelines. Entered a 'CPEC 2.0' phase in early 2026: the two governments agreed to shift focus from infrastructure and energy toward industrialisation, agriculture, mining and export capacity, alongside further upgrades to Gwadar Port and the Karakoram Highway." }, { "Project": "China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan Railway (CKU) — Not confirmed in sources checked", "Route": "Kashgar (China) through Kyrgyzstan (304.84km section) to the existing Uzbek network", "Participants": "China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan", "Status and detail": "under construction — Construction launched 27 December 2024. By mid-2026: over 5,000 workers and about 5,600 pieces of equipment on site; work begun on 26 of 29 tunnels (three over 12km) and 40 of 50 bridges. Expected completion 2028 to 2030." }, { "Project": "International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) — Not confirmed in sources checked", "Route": "Mumbai (India) → Bandar Abbas / Bandar-e-Anzali (Iran) → across the Caspian → Astrakhan → Moscow / St Petersburg (Russia)", "Participants": "India, Iran, Russia — plus Azerbaijan and Central Asian states on different branches, not all SCO members", "Status and detail": "partially operating — About 7,200km, roughly three quarters complete by physical infrastructure. The remaining bottleneck is a single 162km rail gap between Rasht and Astara in Iran. Cargo already moving: 26.9 million tonnes in 2024, up 19% on the year before. Three route branches exist, each with its own reliability profile." }, { "Project": "Middle Corridor / Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) — $846m World Bank guarantee (2026) supporting $1.4bn in financing for Kazakhstan's rail operator", "Route": "China and Central Asia → Kazakhstan → Caspian Sea (Aktau / Kuryk) → Azerbaijan → Georgia → Türkiye → Europe", "Participants": "Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Türkiye, China — Azerbaijan, Georgia and Türkiye are not SCO members", "Status and detail": "operating, capacity expanding — The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway reached full commercial operation on 2 June 2026 after an upgrade that raised its capacity fivefold, to 5 million tonnes a year. Georgia's main line capacity rose from 27 to 48 million tonnes a year. Combined Aktau and Kuryk port capacity is about 22 million tonnes a year. Transit time fell from 53 days in 2022 to 18 to 23 days in 2026." }, { "Project": "Trans-Afghan Railway (Uzbekistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan) — ≈$4.8bn to $5bn estimated", "Route": "Termez (Uzbekistan) → Mazar-i-Sharif → Logar (Afghanistan) → Kharlachi crossing → Peshawar (Pakistan)", "Participants": "Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan — Afghanistan is not an SCO member; its observer seat has been vacant since 2021", "Status and detail": "proposed, feasibility study — About 573km. Uzbekistan decreed the start of a joint feasibility study on 4 February 2026. Uzbekistan's own transport ministry projects the line would cut Tashkent–Pakistan transit from about 35 days to 5, and costs by over 40 per cent, once built. Raised again on the margins of the Bishkek 2026 SCO summit." }, { "Project": "TAPI gas pipeline (Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India) — ≈$10bn", "Route": "Galkynysh field (Turkmenistan) → Herat (Afghanistan) → Quetta and Multan (Pakistan) → Fazilka (India)", "Participants": "Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India", "Status and detail": "stalled beyond Afghanistan — About 1,814km, designed for 33bcm a year, allocated 47.5% to Pakistan, 47.5% to India and 5% to Afghanistan. The Turkmen–Afghan section, to Herat, was inaugurated in October 2025. The Pakistan and India sections remain unbuilt, effectively unmoved for over a decade." }, { "Project": "CASA-1000 electricity transmission — ≈$1.2bn", "Route": "Kyrgyzstan → Tajikistan (484km) → Afghanistan → Pakistan (789km)", "Participants": "Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan", "Status and detail": "under construction — About 1,387km of high-voltage line, designed to move roughly 1,300MW, of which Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan would supply about 1,000MW and Afghanistan and Pakistan receive about 300MW. Targeted for completion by the end of 2026." }, { "Project": "China–Central Asia gas pipeline, Line D — Not confirmed in sources checked", "Route": "Galkynysh field (Turkmenistan) → Uzbekistan → Tajikistan → Kyrgyzstan → Xinjiang (China)", "Participants": "Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, China", "Status and detail": "stalled since 2014 — About 1,000km, designed to add 30bcm a year to the existing Lines A, B and C, which have carried a combined 55bcm a year of capacity since 2009 to 2014 (actual flows run closer to 40bcm). Construction began in 2014 and has repeatedly stalled over the Turkmenistan–China gas price." }, { "Project": "SCO Transport Connectivity Strategy to 2035 — Not applicable", "Route": "No single route — a proposed digital platform linking the Belt and Road Initiative, the Middle Corridor, the North–South Corridor and Central–South Asia routes", "Participants": "Proposed by Kazakhstan, for all SCO member states", "Status and detail": "proposed — Proposed by President Tokayev at the Bishkek summit, 1 September 2026. Envisions a unified SCO digital transit platform, digitalised customs, mutual recognition of electronic documents and green corridors. Not yet adopted. A related 2026 to 2030 roadmap for ports and logistics centres was approved at the same summit — the one piece of this list that is a genuine SCO initiative rather than a bilateral or plurilateral one." } ], "rats_operational_statistics_to_jan_2024": [ { "Reported by RATS leadership, to January 2024": "Clandestine cells of international terrorist organisations suppressed", "Figure": "73" }, { "Reported by RATS leadership, to January 2024": "Terrorist attacks prevented", "Figure": "69" }, { "Reported by RATS leadership, to January 2024": "Individuals identified", "Figure": "507" }, { "Reported by RATS leadership, to January 2024": "Individuals detained", "Figure": "447" }, { "Reported by RATS leadership, to January 2024": "Individuals convicted", "Figure": "54" }, { "Reported by RATS leadership, to January 2024": "Leaders, members and accomplices of terrorist groups neutralised", "Figure": "182" }, { "Reported by RATS leadership, to January 2024": "Online resources promoting terrorism or extremism blocked", "Figure": "24,536" } ], "rats_operational_statistics_2011_2015": [ { "Reported, 2011 to 2015": "Attacks prevented at the planning stage", "Figure": "20" }, { "Reported, 2011 to 2015": "Terrorist and extremist crimes averted", "Figure": "650" }, { "Reported, 2011 to 2015": "Training camps neutralised", "Figure": "440" }, { "Reported, 2011 to 2015": "Members of international terrorist organisations neutralised", "Figure": "1,700" } ], "joint_counter_terrorism_exercises": [ { "Exercise": "Anti-terrorism Interaction-2024", "Date": "July 2024", "Location": "Xinjiang, China", "Note": "First joint counter-terrorism exercise to bring together the competent authorities of all ten member states" }, { "Exercise": "East Anti-Terror 2024", "Date": "4 to 5 September 2024", "Location": "Tashkent, Uzbekistan", "Note": "Held alongside the 10th RATS International Science and Practical Conference" }, { "Exercise": "Sahand-Antiterror-2025", "Date": "4 December 2025", "Location": "Tabriz, Iran", "Note": "Final stage observed by the RATS Executive Committee director and an SCO Deputy Secretary General" } ], "position_development_bank": [ { "State": "Kyrgyzstan", "Position": "Host bid: Bishkek", "Detail": "Pushed during its 2025 to 2026 chairmanship, the term immediately before Pakistan's." }, { "State": "Kazakhstan", "Position": "Counter-offer: Astana", "Detail": "President Tokayev: Kazakhstan could host the institution 'if there is consensus among the member states' — a conditional offer, not a claim of settled support." }, { "State": "Other eight members", "Position": "No distinct public position identified", "Detail": "Not established in the sources checked for this entry. Silence here is not evidence of a position either way." } ], "position_afghanistan_engagement": [ { "State": "Russia", "Position": "Formal recognition", "Detail": "Recognised the Taliban as Afghanistan's government on 3 July 2025 — the only SCO member to do so." }, { "State": "China", "Position": "De facto engagement, no formal recognition", "Detail": "Accredited a Taliban-appointed ambassador in Beijing, December 2023. Welcomed Russia's recognition in 2025 without matching it." }, { "State": "India", "Position": "Upgraded presence, recognition explicitly withheld", "Detail": "Reopened its Kabul mission as a full embassy on 21 October 2025, after a Jaishankar–Muttaqi meeting; the Taliban reciprocated with a chargé d'affaires in Delhi in January 2026. India has stated this is not a change in its formal, non-recognition position." }, { "State": "Kazakhstan", "Position": "De facto engagement", "Detail": "Removed the Taliban from its list of terrorist organisations, late 2023." }, { "State": "Kyrgyzstan", "Position": "De facto engagement", "Detail": "Removed the Taliban from its list of terrorist organisations, 2024." }, { "State": "Tajikistan", "Position": "Openly skeptical, no engagement track", "Detail": "The most consistently anti-Taliban member. Hosts the National Resistance Front, an armed opposition group, and President Rahmon has called conditions in Panjshir a 'catastrophic violation'." }, { "State": "Pakistan", "Position": "Open conflict, recognition held as leverage", "Detail": "Relations broke down into cross-border air strikes from October 2025, the deadliest clashes since the 2021 Taliban takeover, continuing intermittently into 2026 despite ceasefire attempts. Islamabad has linked any recognition to Kabul accepting the Durand Line as the international border." }, { "State": "Uzbekistan, Iran, Belarus", "Position": "No distinct position established", "Detail": "Not established in the sources checked for this entry." } ], "declaration_sources": [ { "No.": "1", "Summit": "Shanghai, 2001 — 15 June 2001", "Declaration": "Declaration on the Establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation", "primary_source_label": "SCO Secretariat", "primary_source_url": "https://eng.sectsco.org/20010615/1626670.html", "secondary_source_label": "", "secondary_source_url": "" }, { "No.": "2", "Summit": "St Petersburg, 2002 — 7 June 2002", "Declaration": "Declaration by the Heads of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization", "primary_source_label": "SCO Secretariat (PDF)", "primary_source_url": "https://eng.sectsco.org/images/07e8/0c/14/1626000.pdf", "secondary_source_label": "", "secondary_source_url": "" }, { "No.": "3", "Summit": "Moscow, 2003 — 29 May 2003", "Declaration": "Declaration by the Heads of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization", "primary_source_label": "SCO Secretariat", "primary_source_url": "https://eng.sectsco.org/20030529/193656.html", "secondary_source_label": "Office of the President of Russia", "secondary_source_url": "http://en.kremlin.ru/supplement/1672" }, { "No.": "4", "Summit": "Tashkent, 2004 — 17 June 2004", "Declaration": "Tashkent Declaration by Heads of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization", "primary_source_label": "Office of the President of Russia", "primary_source_url": "http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/31179", "secondary_source_label": "", "secondary_source_url": "" }, { "No.": "5", "Summit": "Astana, 2005 — 5 July 2005", "Declaration": "Declaration by the Heads of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization", "primary_source_label": "SCO Secretariat", "primary_source_url": "https://eng.sectsco.org/files/297146/297146", "secondary_source_label": "", "secondary_source_url": "" }, { "No.": "6", "Summit": "Shanghai, 2006 — 15 June 2006", "Declaration": "Declaration on the Fifth Anniversary of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization", "primary_source_label": "SCO Secretariat (PDF)", "primary_source_url": "https://eng.sectsco.org/images/07e8/0c/17/1627730.pdf", "secondary_source_label": "", "secondary_source_url": "" }, { "No.": "7", "Summit": "Bishkek, 2007 — 16 August 2007", "Declaration": "Bishkek Declaration", "primary_source_label": "SCO Secretariat (PDF)", "primary_source_url": "https://eng.sectsco.org/images/07e8/0c/17/1627871.pdf", "secondary_source_label": "", "secondary_source_url": "" }, { "No.": "8", "Summit": "Dushanbe, 2008 — 28 August 2008", "Declaration": "Dushanbe Declaration", "primary_source_label": "SCO Secretariat (PDF)", "primary_source_url": "https://eng.sectsco.org/images/07e8/0c/17/1628059.pdf", "secondary_source_label": "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan", "secondary_source_url": "https://mfa.tj/en/main/view/3234/dushanbe-declaration" }, { "No.": "9", "Summit": "Yekaterinburg, 2009 — 16 June 2009", "Declaration": "Yekaterinburg Declaration by the Heads of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization", "primary_source_label": "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China", "primary_source_url": "https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/zy/gb/202405/t20240531_11367228.html", "secondary_source_label": "Office of the President of Russia", "secondary_source_url": "http://en.kremlin.ru/supplement/66" }, { "No.": "10", "Summit": "Tashkent, 2010 — 10 to 11 June 2010", "Declaration": "Declaration of the 10th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO Member States", "primary_source_label": "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China", "primary_source_url": "https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/wjdt_665385/2649_665393/201006/t20100625_679309.html", "secondary_source_label": "", "secondary_source_url": "" }, { "No.": "11", "Summit": "Astana, 2011 — 15 June 2011", "Declaration": "Astana Declaration on the 10th Anniversary of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization", "primary_source_label": "SCO Secretariat (PDF)", "primary_source_url": "https://eng.sectsco.org/images/07e8/0c/14/1625605.pdf", "secondary_source_label": "", "secondary_source_url": "" }, { "No.": "12", "Summit": "Beijing, 2012 — 7 June 2012", "Declaration": "Declaration by the Heads of Member States on Building a Region of Lasting Peace and Common Prosperity", "primary_source_label": "SCO Secretariat (PDF)", "primary_source_url": "https://eng.sectsco.org/images/07e8/0c/17/1626889.pdf", "secondary_source_label": "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China", "secondary_source_url": "https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/eng/zy/gb/202405/t20240531_11367264.html" }, { "No.": "13", "Summit": "Bishkek, 2013 — 13 September 2013", "Declaration": "Bishkek Declaration by the Heads of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization", "primary_source_label": "SCO Secretariat", "primary_source_url": "https://eng.sectsco.org/20130913/1625801.html", "secondary_source_label": "", "secondary_source_url": "" }, { "No.": "14", "Summit": "Dushanbe, 2014 — 12 September 2014", "Declaration": "Dushanbe Declaration by the Heads of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization", "primary_source_label": "SCO Secretariat", "primary_source_url": "https://eng.sectsco.org/20140912/199880.html", "secondary_source_label": "", "secondary_source_url": "" }, { "No.": "15", "Summit": "Ufa, 2015 — 10 July 2015", "Declaration": "Ufa Declaration by the Heads of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization", "primary_source_label": "SCO Secretariat", "primary_source_url": "https://eng.sectsco.org/files/200119/200119", "secondary_source_label": "", "secondary_source_url": "" }, { "No.": "16", "Summit": "Tashkent, 2016 — 24 June 2016", "Declaration": "The Tashkent Declaration of the Fifteenth Anniversary of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation", "primary_source_label": "SCO Secretariat (PDF)", "primary_source_url": "https://eng.sectsco.org/images/07e8/0c/14/1626002.pdf", "secondary_source_label": "", "secondary_source_url": "" }, { "No.": "17", "Summit": "Astana, 2017 — 9 June 2017", "Declaration": "The Astana Declaration of the Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation", "primary_source_label": "SCO Secretariat", "primary_source_url": "https://eng.sectsco.org/20170612/296163.html", "secondary_source_label": "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China", "secondary_source_url": "https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/zy/jj/2017zt/xjpdhjxgsfwbcxshzzcygyslshdsqchyhastnzxsbhkms/202406/t20240606_11380666.html" }, { "No.": "18", "Summit": "Qingdao, 2018 — 10 June 2018", "Declaration": "Qingdao Declaration of the Council of Heads of State", "primary_source_label": "SCO Secretariat", "primary_source_url": "https://eng.sectsco.org/20180614/450496.html", "secondary_source_label": "", "secondary_source_url": "" }, { "No.": "19", "Summit": "Bishkek, 2019 — 14 June 2019", "Declaration": "Bishkek Declaration of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's Heads of State Council", "primary_source_label": "SCO Secretariat", "primary_source_url": "https://eng.sectsco.org/20190614/550971.html", "secondary_source_label": "", "secondary_source_url": "" }, { "No.": "20", "Summit": "Moscow, 2020 — 10 November 2020", "Declaration": "The Moscow Declaration of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation", "primary_source_label": "SCO Secretariat", "primary_source_url": "https://eng.sectsco.org/20201110/690356.html", "secondary_source_label": "", "secondary_source_url": "" }, { "No.": "21", "Summit": "Dushanbe, 2021 — 17 September 2021", "Declaration": "Dushanbe Declaration on the Twentieth Anniversary of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation", "primary_source_label": "SCO Secretariat", "primary_source_url": "https://eng.sectsco.org/20210917/782639.html", "secondary_source_label": "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan", "secondary_source_url": "https://mfa.tj/en/korea/view/8345/20-years-of-the-shanghai-cooperation-organisation-sco-cooperation-for-stability-and-prosperity" }, { "No.": "22", "Summit": "Samarkand, 2022 — 16 September 2022", "Declaration": "The Samarkand Declaration of the Heads of State Council of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation", "primary_source_label": "SCO Secretariat", "primary_source_url": "https://eng.sectsco.org/20220916/1626299.html", "secondary_source_label": "Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China", "secondary_source_url": "https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/zy/jj/2022/cxshgsfwhw/202209/t20220916_10767162.html" }, { "No.": "23", "Summit": "New Delhi, 2023 — 4 July 2023", "Declaration": "New Delhi Declaration of the Council of Heads of State of Shanghai Cooperation Organization", "primary_source_label": "SCO Secretariat", "primary_source_url": "https://eng.sectsco.org/20230704/1628339.html", "secondary_source_label": "", "secondary_source_url": "" }, { "No.": "24", "Summit": "Astana, 2024 — 4 July 2024", "Declaration": "Astana Declaration of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation", "primary_source_label": "SCO Secretariat", "primary_source_url": "https://eng.sectsco.org/20240709/1438929.html", "secondary_source_label": "", "secondary_source_url": "" }, { "No.": "25", "Summit": "Tianjin, 2025 — 1 September 2025", "Declaration": "Tianjin Declaration of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization", "primary_source_label": "SCO Secretariat", "primary_source_url": "https://eng.sectsco.org/20250901/1963431.html", "secondary_source_label": "Office of the President of Russia", "secondary_source_url": "http://en.kremlin.ru/supplement/6376" }, { "No.": "26", "Summit": "Bishkek, 2026 — 1 September 2026", "Declaration": "Bishkek Declaration on the Twenty Fifth Anniversary", "primary_source_label": "SCO Secretariat, Russian text", "primary_source_url": "https://rus.sectsco.org/20260901/2495418.html", "secondary_source_label": "", "secondary_source_url": "" } ], "institutions_status_summary": [ { "status": "operating", "count": 7, "examples": "SCO Secretariat, RATS Executive Committee, Interbank Consortium, Business Council, Consortium of Economic Analytical Centres, SCO University, Youth Council" }, { "status": "established", "count": 4, "examples": "Universal Centre for Countering Challenges and Threats, its Information security and Transnational organised crime units, SCO Anti-Drug Centre" }, { "status": "agreed", "count": 1, "examples": "SCO Association of Investors" }, { "status": "declared", "count": 2, "examples": "SCO Development Bank, SCO Development Fund Special Account" } ], "observer_states": [ { "State": "Mongolia", "Granted": "17 June 2004, Tashkent, Decision No. 12", "Status": "Current" }, { "State": "Afghanistan", "Granted": "7 June 2012, Beijing, Decision No. 6", "Status": "Vacant since August 2021. Never formally revoked" } ], "dialogue_partners": [ { "Partner": "Sri Lanka", "Decision": "16 June 2009", "Memorandum signed": "6 May 2010" }, { "Partner": "Türkiye", "Decision": "7 June 2012", "Memorandum signed": "26 April 2013" }, { "Partner": "Cambodia", "Decision": "10 July 2015", "Memorandum signed": "24 September 2015" }, { "Partner": "Azerbaijan", "Decision": "10 July 2015", "Memorandum signed": "14 March 2016" }, { "Partner": "Armenia", "Decision": "10 July 2015", "Memorandum signed": "14 March 2016" }, { "Partner": "Nepal", "Decision": "10 July 2015", "Memorandum signed": "22 March 2016" }, { "Partner": "Egypt", "Decision": "17 September 2021", "Memorandum signed": "14 September 2022" }, { "Partner": "Qatar", "Decision": "17 September 2021", "Memorandum signed": "14 September 2022" }, { "Partner": "Saudi Arabia", "Decision": "17 September 2021", "Memorandum signed": "16 September 2022" }, { "Partner": "Bahrain", "Decision": "10 September 2022", "Memorandum signed": "14 July 2023" }, { "Partner": "Kuwait", "Decision": "16 September 2022", "Memorandum signed": "5 May 2023" }, { "Partner": "Maldives", "Decision": "16 September 2022", "Memorandum signed": "5 May 2023" }, { "Partner": "Myanmar", "Decision": "16 September 2022", "Memorandum signed": "5 May 2023" }, { "Partner": "United Arab Emirates", "Decision": "16 September 2022", "Memorandum signed": "5 May 2023" }, { "Partner": "Laos", "Decision": "1 September 2025, Decision No. 3", "Memorandum signed": "Not stated on the Secretariat list" } ], "relations_with_other_organisations": [ { "Organisation": "United Nations General Assembly", "Instrument": "Observer status, Resolution 59/48, adopted without a vote", "Date": "2 December 2004" }, { "Organisation": "United Nations Secretariat", "Instrument": "Joint Declaration on Cooperation", "Date": "5 April 2010" }, { "Organisation": "ASEAN", "Instrument": "Memorandum of Understanding", "Date": "21 April 2005, Jakarta" }, { "Organisation": "Commonwealth of Independent States", "Instrument": "Memorandum of Understanding", "Date": "12 April 2005, Beijing" }, { "Organisation": "Commonwealth of Independent States", "Instrument": "Observer status granted to the SCO, alongside the launch of a CIS Plus platform", "Date": "10 October 2025, Dushanbe" }, { "Organisation": "Collective Security Treaty Organisation", "Instrument": "Memorandum of Understanding", "Date": "5 October 2007, Dushanbe" }, { "Organisation": "Economic Cooperation Organisation", "Instrument": "Memorandum of Understanding", "Date": "11 December 2007" }, { "Organisation": "CICA", "Instrument": "Memorandum of Understanding", "Date": "20 May 2014, Shanghai" }, { "Organisation": "International Committee of the Red Cross", "Instrument": "Memorandum of Understanding", "Date": "9 June 2017, Astana" }, { "Organisation": "Eurasian Economic Commission", "Instrument": "Memorandum of Understanding", "Date": "17 September 2021, Dushanbe" }, { "Organisation": "League of Arab States", "Instrument": "Memorandum of Understanding", "Date": "15 September 2022, Samarkand" }, { "Organisation": "CARICC", "Instrument": "Memorandum of Understanding on narcotics trafficking", "Date": "18 March 2026" }, { "Organisation": "African Union Commission", "Instrument": "Memorandum of Understanding, confirmed by the SCO Secretariat's own summit readout", "Date": "1 September 2026, Bishkek" }, { "Organisation": "UNODC, ESCAP, UNESCO, OCHA, UN Tourism, FAO, UNEP", "Instrument": "Separate memoranda with United Nations agencies", "Date": "2011 to 2024" } ] } }