The term “Shanghai Five” appeared in 1996, when the first meeting of the heads of 5 states took place in Shanghai: the Russian Federation, the PRC, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. The total area of these countries covers 3/5 of the entire area of Eurasia, and the population accounts for 1/4 of the globe.
Initially, the goal of this “Five” was to resolve border issues. However, the matters considered gradually went far beyond the subject of cross-border cooperation, and issues such as the fight against terrorism, extremism, and problems of economic cooperation began to be discussed. Last year, another meeting of the heads of state of the “Shanghai Five” took place in Shanghai, with the participation of the presidents of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. As a result of the deliberations, the following were signed: a declaration on the establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism, and Extremism. The current composition of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization may perhaps be expanded to include other countries. Mongolia, Iran, India, and Pakistan have shown interest in joining the organization.
Initially, the goal of this “Five” was to resolve border issues. However, the matters considered gradually went far beyond the subject of cross-border cooperation, and issues such as the fight against terrorism, extremism, and problems of economic cooperation began to be discussed. Last year, another meeting of the heads of state of the “Shanghai Five” took place in Shanghai, with the participation of the presidents of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. As a result of the deliberations, the following were signed: a declaration on the establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism, and Extremism. The current composition of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization may perhaps be expanded to include other countries. Mongolia, Iran, India, and Pakistan have shown interest in joining the organization.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 2002/3.