Leaders from Asia, Europe, and Africa will gather in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin from August 31 to September 1 to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit — the largest in its history — where participants will outline the development plan for the SCO for the next decade.
Over its 24 years of existence, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), initially established to address security issues, has evolved into a comprehensive regional organization representing nearly half of the world’s population, a quarter of the Earth’s landmass, and a quarter of global GDP. With the accession of India, Pakistan, Iran, and Belarus, the SCO currently comprises 10 member states, as well as two observer countries and 14 dialogue partner countries. At present, the SCO includes 9 full members (Kazakhstan, China, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, India, Iran), 2 observer states (Afghanistan, Mongolia), and 14 dialogue partners (Azerbaijan, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Armenia, Egypt, Cambodia, Qatar, Kuwait, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka).
Azerbaijan currently holds the status of a dialogue partner of the SCO. In 2016, a memorandum was signed outlining the areas of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the SCO. Key areas of collaboration include combating terrorism, extremism, and separatism, as well as ensuring regional security and stability—traditionally priority areas for the organization that also hold particular significance for Azerbaijan. Attention is also focused on issues such as inter-civilizational dialogue, multiculturalism, and the promotion of tolerance, in which Azerbaijan plays an important role on the international stage.
The city of Tianjin, located in northern China on the coast of the Bohai Gulf, has a population of 14 million and is a major port city as well as a free trade zone. Recently, the Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology announced the establishment of the first group of four municipal pilot industrial zones: the Binhai High-Tech Industrial Development Zone in Tianjin, the Tianjin Economic and Technological Development Zone, the Wuqing District, and the Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone.
