Armenia wants to join the SCO: what you need to know about the organization

On Wednesday, July 16, Armenia applied to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) with a request to join this organization. This was stated by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. He stressed that this decision is in line with the country's balancing policy. Earlier, on July 3, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially expressed its interest in joining the SCO. In the same month, the country applied for observer status, the first step towards eventual full membership. Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Sri Lanka have also submitted similar applications. What is the SCO, what is the meaning of the organization and who is included in it — in the material of Izvestia.

Armenia's accession from the SCO: what is known, will it affect Armenia

On Wednesday, July 16, it became known that Armenia has applied to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as a full-fledged participant. This was stated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during a press conference. It is important to note that Armenia already has observer status in the organization. He explained the decision to join the SCO with "significant and structural changes that are taking place in the organization."

As the head of the Analytical Center for Strategic Studies and Initiatives (ACSI) told Izvestia Hayk Khalatyan, the decision on Armenia's accession to the SCO was made against the background of the movement towards the West, as well as the deterioration of Armenian-Russian relations. According to the expert, Nikol Pashinyan's statement about Armenia's possible withdrawal from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is also important.

— In my opinion, this is an attempt on the part of Yerevan to simulate a balanced foreign policy, although in reality its priorities have been set, and this is actually a geopolitical reversal, — says Hayk Khalatyan.

However, as the expert notes, the process of joining the organization is long, which means it is difficult to talk about deadlines. At the same time, according to Hayk Khalatyan, Armenia's accession to the SCO will not affect the country in any way.

What is the SCO: which countries are included in it

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is an international intergovernmental organization formed on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai on the basis of the Shanghai Five: China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. In 2001, Uzbekistan became a member of the SCO. In 2017, two major powers joined the organization — India and Pakistan, and in 2023 — Iran.

At the Astana summit in September 2024, Belarus officially joined the SCO, bringing the number of full participants to ten: China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Iran and Belarus. Mongolia and Afghanistan are observers.

The SCO covers approximately 24% of the world's territories (about 65% of Eurasia) and about 42% of the world's population. Over the past two years, the trade turnover between the SCO member states has grown by 30% and approached a trillion dollars. In 2024, their combined GDP was about a quarter of the world's.

In addition to full-fledged members, the SCO has partner countries, including many candidates for membership and observer countries. As Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated in 2022, "there is a queue of those who want to join the SCO." Until recently, Armenia was one of the candidates.

14 countries have the status of dialogue partner: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bahrain, Egypt, Cambodia, Qatar, Kuwait, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Sri Lanka. In addition, Afghanistan and Mongolia have observer status.

The main goals and objectives of the SCO

The main goal of the SCO, as set out in its Charter and documents, is to strengthen trust, good—neighborliness and stabilization in the region through a joint fight against terrorism, extremism and separatism. The organization actively promotes cooperation in political, economic and cultural fields, including transport, energy, science and nature conservation.

She also fights illegal arms trafficking, drugs, and migration. The SCO's permanent body is the Regional Anti‑Terrorist Structure with headquarters in Moscow, which coordinates anti-terrorist exercises and operations, including blocking the financing of terrorism through drug trafficking.

What does the abbreviation SCO mean?

The SCO abbreviation reflects both the geographical and political origins of the association. The SCO stands for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization — the name is associated with the city of Shanghai, where the founding document of the organization was signed in 2001.

Literally, the name emphasizes its main goal — to deepen cooperation between the countries of Eurasia in various fields: from security to economics and culture.