Response to the blow: Russia proposed the SCO to create a crisis response mechanism

The SCO must respond promptly to crisis events that affect the interests of its members. This was stated by the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Sergei Shoigu, at a meeting of the secretaries of relevant bodies in Bishkek. According to him, Moscow proposes to develop a mechanism for such a response. In addition, Russia can contribute to building a new security architecture in the Middle East. Russia does not abandon diplomacy in the Ukrainian crisis, but Kiev is not ready to negotiate. Sergei Shoigu said that about 15% of the territory of the DPR remained under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, while the Russian Armed Forces continued to advance.

How are the SCO Security Council secretaries negotiating?

The Kyrgyz side organized a meeting of the SCO Security Council secretaries at the Ala-Archa state Residence, where Russian President Vladimir Putin was hosted in 2023 and 2025. Kyrgyzstan also holds the CIS and CSTO summits here. The residence is built of marble, which is rich in the republic. A local source explained to Izvestia that Bishkek takes the SCO seriously, especially in the areas of counterterrorism and logistics projects.

The negotiations of the Security Council secretaries were held for the 21st time. This year, the delegations of Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan took part. In April, the heads of the defense departments of these countries met. Political scientist Denis Denisov noted: the meeting of the SCO Security Council secretaries is one of the key events of the organization. On their basis, strategic approaches of states in this area are being developed, he said.

Russia proposes to develop a mechanism for responding to aggressive actions within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, said Secretary of the Russian Security Council Sergei Shoigu.

— We proposed to develop a mechanism for such a joint response to such events [the aggression of the United States and Israel against Iran]. And, of course, a lot more needs to be done to ensure that it is, firstly, timely, that is, it does not stretch over a long period of time," he said. — And we hope that by the summit of the heads of state of the organization, which will be held in early September, this decision will be made.

Such a mechanism could involve closer coordination of special services and law enforcement agencies, as well as the development of a protocol for automatically convening the Council of Heads of State or Security Council secretaries within a few hours after aggression against any SCO member.

According to Shoigu, the combined potential of the organization's countries allows it to be considered as one of the pillars of a multipolar world order and a key element of the architecture of equal and indivisible security in Eurasia.

"We look forward to coordinated efforts to form a Large Eurasian Partnership designed to become the socio—economic foundation of the future regional architecture," said Shoigu, who also met with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov before the meeting.

In addition, the Russian Federation has developed a draft regulation on the Universal Center for Countering Security Challenges and Threats in Tashkent. Proposals for the draft regulation on the Executive Committee of the Anti-Drug Center in Dushanbe were also submitted.

"We urge you to finalize the approval of these documents before the Bishkek summit," Shoigu said.

The results of the Bishkek events are intended to confirm the general commitment to strengthen the SCO and actually contribute to deepening political dialogue and cooperation in the field of security. The events of the International Security Forum, which will be held on May 26-29 in the Moscow region, will also be devoted to solving these tasks, Sergei Shoigu believes.

The SCO's role in the Iranian conflict

Currently, the SCO is not a defensive alliance, and this organization cannot be compared with NATO or the CSTO. Nevertheless, the essence of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization may change in the future due to the conflict over Iran, as discussions have intensified on how the structure can ensure the security of its members, Denis Denisov noted.

At the same time, Shoigu called the aggression of the United States and Israel against Iran "another example of the geopolitical adventure of Westerners." It has nullified years of efforts to resolve the situation around Iran's nuclear program, and disrupted the normalization of relations between Tehran and its Arab neighbors.

"It is important to prevent the resumption of armed confrontation and pave the way for building a new security architecture in the region," Sergei Shoigu said.

However, the organization's transformation into a defensive alliance should not be expected in the near future. Firstly, such a task is not worth it yet. Secondly, there are countries among the participants that have unresolved disputes among themselves. First of all, we are talking about Pakistan and India. But New Delhi has a difficult relationship with Beijing due to territorial issues. In addition, armed clashes had previously occurred on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border, although this conflict was nevertheless resolved. In general, the views of the SCO countries on international issues may vary. The level of relations, for example, between India and Western countries is very different from the relations between Russia and Belarus with the United States or the EU.

These factors, in fact, manifested themselves during the Iranian crisis — the SCO, as an organization, did not make harsh statements, it chose a diplomatic path of participation in the conflict. Meanwhile, individual countries alternately offered their services as mediators, and one of them (Pakistan) even provided a platform for post-war negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

Experts generally agree that the SCO will continue to use diplomatic means to resolve the crisis, including because none of the organization's participants is interested in increasing tensions in Eurasia. At the same time, military intervention in the conflict on the side of Iran, in case of repeated escalations, is extremely unlikely.

The SCO's transformation into a military bloc is also unlikely, including against the background of the Ukrainian crisis. Apart from the Russian Federation and Belarus, all the countries of the organization adhere to one degree or another to neutrality in this conflict.

At the same time, Shoigu recalled in Bishkek that the Russian armed forces firmly possess a strategic initiative and are confidently moving forward along the entire line of combat contact. Since the beginning of this year, they have liberated more than 1.8 thousand square kilometers of territory and over 80 settlements. The territory of the Luhansk People's Republic has been completely liberated, and a little more than 15% of the land remains in Donetsk, he said in his speech.

— At the same time, Russia does not abandon political and diplomatic methods of conflict resolution, including constructive mediation by other states. However, the Kiev regime repeatedly confirms its inability to negotiate. The basic reason is the hypocritical support of the leading European member states of the EU and NATO, which deliberately prolong the conflict and pump Ukraine with weapons," the Secretary of the Russian Security Council clarified.

Moscow's conditions remain the same: Ukraine must return to the non-aligned, neutral and nuclear-weapon-free foundations set out in the Declaration of its State Sovereignty of 1990. The Russian Federation will also continue to seek international legal recognition of the return of territories to its territory and ensure all human rights and freedoms.

SCO can help Afghanistan

The situation around Afghanistan remains tense, with the highest threat of extremism and drug trafficking spreading to the SCO countries from the territory of this state. American troops left the country in 2021, and the Taliban came to power again.

Sergei Shoigu said that Kabul is waging a tough armed struggle against ISIS (an organization recognized as a terrorist and banned in the Russian Federation)— the main ideological and political rival of the Taliban. At the same time, there has been an increase in the influx of fighters of Uighur, Tajik and Uzbek origin from the groups of the former terrorist alliance Hayyat Tahrir al-Sham to Afghanistan from Syria (the organization is recognized as terrorist and banned in the Russian Federation).

— According to various estimates, there are from 18 to 23 thousand militants operating in Afghanistan, who are part of more than 20 different groups. In 2025, ISIS carried out 12 major terrorist attacks, which killed 40 soldiers and 25 civilians. More than 50 people were injured," Shoigu said.

According to him, the Afghan authorities are making significant efforts on the anti-drug track. However, due to the difficult economic situation, this problem has not been solved. And one of the reasons is the blocking of Afghan assets by the United States, Great Britain and Germany. The total amount of frozen funds is about $10 billion, Shoigu stressed.

— According to our most conservative estimates, the Westerners have frozen about $590 billion in total belonging to Russia, Cuba, Venezuela, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Libya and Afghanistan. I am convinced that all sensible leaders will draw the right conclusions regarding the storage of national savings in the West," said the secretary of the Russian Security Council.

Moscow has established relations with the new Afghan authorities, but it is the United States and its allies that must accept full responsibility for their 20-year presence in the country and shoulder the main burden of its post-conflict reconstruction.

"We are consistently building a full—fledged partnership, from contacts in the field of politics and security to trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation," Shoigu explained. — We are convinced that cooperation with Kabul meets the objectives of security and economic development of the region.

Vladimir Shapovalov, Deputy Director of the Institute of History and Politics at Moscow State University, told Izvestia that the SCO is the most effective platform for discussing the issue of Afghanistan, as it unites almost all of the country's neighbors. Kabul also received observer status in 2012, but after the Taliban came to power, the country's participation in the SCO turned out to be virtually frozen. Nevertheless, the organization is well able to bring Afghanistan back into the global economy and help improve the social situation in the country. However, this may be hindered by the armed conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which cannot be resolved.

Despite all the problematic issues, it is obvious that the SCO has a strong position in the international arena. The participation of four nuclear-weapon States in it makes this organization a structure whose opinion it is important to take into account. If the states manage to overcome their differences among themselves, the SCO can become one of the most authoritative international platforms that will be actively involved in conflict resolution on the world stage.