By Zhang Shuo from CNS
Bolat Nurgaliyev is a former deputy overseas minister of Kazakhstan and former secretary common of the Shanghai Cooperation Group (SCO). At the moment, he’s the director of the International Coverage Analysis Institute of the Kazakh Ministry of International Affairs. His analysis fields embrace international politics and the economic system, and nationwide and regional safety developments.
The SCO, based in 2001, has develop into one of many largest transregional organizations on the earth, taking part in an more and more essential function in dialogue amongst completely different civilizations and cultural exchanges. Bolat Nurgaliyev explains the variations between the SCO and related organizations dominated by the West, particularly the “Oriental knowledge” of the previous.
CNS: How do you see the SCO, a regional but worldwide group connecting 18 nations and almost half of the world’s inhabitants?
Bolat Nurgaliyev: Though the SCO is a comparatively younger group, it has made many distinctive contributions to regional—and even international—safety, stability and sustainable improvement. Its objective is to create mutual belief amongst its member states who share borders, clear up issues and collectively reply to the challenges to nationwide and regional safety and stability.
With its growth, it has develop into an essential a part of the worldwide system with its affect going past its member states.
Within the Nineteen Nineties, the “Shanghai 5,” 5 nations sharing borders—China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan—fashioned a brand new collective safety mannequin, opening a brand new chapter within the Asia–Pacific area. In 2001, it was succeeded by the SCO, with Uzbekistan turning into the sixth member. Later, India and Pakistan grew to become its new members. The SCO got here into being to collectively battle terrorism, separatism and extremism. With time, its cooperation areas have expanded, protecting politics, economic system, society, humanities and different fields.
Afghanistan has all the time remained essential within the SCO’s safety agenda. The SCO-Afghanistan Liaison Group is pooling in regional efforts for constructive engagement with all events concerned for a peaceable settlement of the Afghan concern.
The SCO has efficiently accomplished the mission entrusted to it originally of its institution, optimized its sustainable improvement and responded flexibly to the worldwide improvement course of.
