Political and economic collaboration in Eurasia

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Secretary-General Rashid Alimov looks at the prospects and challenges

The contemporary world is currently undergoing a fundamental change. Against this backdrop, the complexity of processes in global politics is becoming increasingly clear. The existing concepts and perspectives regarding international cooperation are becoming history, and are being replaced by new ones aimed at ensuring overarching cooperation as a way to achieve development and prosperity.

As for the Eurasian space is concerned, today there is no doubt that it has already become a space for large-scale processes of designing new systems of interstate cooperation. What speaks in favor of this?

First, practically almost all countries in the vast region are actively involved in various projects, the nature of which varies from the classic forms of integration to the formatting of joint multilateral mechanisms to address specific tasks.

Secondly, the trend of centripetal motion in Eurasia is becoming increasingly obvious and, as a result, it creates a need for structuring, combining capacities and efforts to ensure synergy and long-term sustainable inclusive development. This, in fact, is the common interest of all states in the region.

There is an ongoing intensive search for the optimal mechanisms for the formation of a Greater Eurasian partnership. Negotiations between the Eurasian Economic Union and China, Eurasian Economic Union and ASEAN countries, progress in implementing the Belt and Road concept, as well as the development of multifaceted cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). Eight are emerging as the core elements of this process. The solution to the enormous scale of the task requires great work, serious efforts and time.

The Eurasian space could constitute a partnership of regional states united by the common ideas of joint development. However, its fundamental underpinnings can only be built by multilateral efforts in the sphere of politics and security, as well as trade, economic and cultural interaction between countries and people in the region. Such spheres are exactly the pillars of cooperation within the SCO.

In the contemporary world, sustainable development is impossible to secure without providing security. Traditional challenges and new threats that are posed by international terrorism, extremism, international organized crime and illicit drug trafficking constantly require active measures and common steps to combat with.

In this regard, during the SCO summit in Astana, the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan, on June 9, leaders of the SCO member states formulated consolidated assessments of international security in the context of developments in the region and the world, and defined important areas to further strengthen the versatile cooperation within the SCO.

Joint efforts against all kinds of terrorism and extremism, an uncompromising struggle against illicit drugs and weapons trafficking and other types of transnational crime, as well as illegal migration, have always been and stayed the SCO's key priorities.

An important item on the summit's agenda was accepting India and Pakistan as full SCO members. After the accession of these two respected and authoritative states, the SCO has unified nearly 44 percent of the world population and its responsibility zone has expanded from the Arctic to the Indian Ocean north to south and from Lianyungang in China to Kaliningrad in Russia east to west.

All the member states of the SCO are as one in their striving to promote cooperation based on clear and open principles of partner relations.

Multilateral partnership within the SCO means interaction based on the joint definition of areas of common interests and the equal importance of opinions held by all together and each separately regardless of the actors' political or economic weight, given complete preservation of and respect for the partnership entities' independence in their domestic affairs and foreign policy.

Mutual understanding rather than ordering to form a rank, and equality and coordination, rather than domination, are what we can call the key elements of the SCO partnership. Sixteen years of SCO cooperation have demonstrated that the better is mutual understanding, the closer the coordination, and the stricter the equality is observed the stronger and more efficient the multi-vector partnership is.

More than that, efforts within the SCO are underpinned by the principles of good neighborly relations, mutual trust and respect, equality and mutually beneficial cooperation across all operations. These are the tenets of the organization, also known as the Shanghai Spirit, which is viewed as a prerequisite for success in all SCO undertakings and a reference point in relations between states, countering global challenges and threats, and overcoming differences on the international stage.

Since its early days, the SCO has followed a policy that rules out bloc-based, ideological and confrontational approaches to solving current international and regional problems. The SCO strictly abides by the principles enshrined in its Charter, including the principle of not being directed against other states and international associations. The SCO prioritizes active development of contacts and cooperation with international and regional organizations, primarily with the United Nations and its specialized agencies.

Trade and economic cooperation is becoming an increasingly important part of the collaborative effort within the SCO. One reason for this is the ongoing new large-scale economic processes in the region, in which the SCO countries are actively involved. These include regional economic integration within the Eurasian Economic Union, the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative, and prospects for creating a Greater Eurasian Partnership together with the ASEAN economies.

What is the most important thing in this regard? The vision of Eurasia as a single and integrated system of mutual ties stretching from the Pacific to the Atlantic underpins new powerful economic initiatives that are currently being implemented in the region. More countries are joining these projects, discovering new growth opportunities by coordinating and aligning national economic development strategies.

Finding new models for coordinating and aligning these initiatives with national economic development programs is an objective of unprecedented scale and complexity, while also being attractive and offering opportunities to all of Eurasia and the Asia Pacific. Delivering on this objective would also create unparalleled opportunities for businesses, in terms of trade and investment promotion, as well as for carrying out major transcontinental projects.

In terms of geography, the SCO is at the very center of these large-scale economic initiatives, and the system of regular meetings of the heads of the SCO member states' governments and economic ministries and agencies allows the organization to work on a wide range of issues on regional economic agenda.

In fact, economic interconnectedness of the SCO member states is determined by their geographical proximity along with the agreements and arrangements within the SCO framework, as well as joint development programs of the regional economy.

Today, the SCO countries are focused on infrastructure, transportation and communications projects and are searching for new forms and methods of regional economic cooperation. This is promoting the gradual increase in the SCO member states' mutual accumulation of investments, which exceeded $40 billion in 2016.

One of the most important transcontinental projects of the SCO is the creation of a common system of roads through Eurasia based on the SCO Member States Agreement on Facilitation of International Road Transport. This document became effective on Jan 20, 2017 and gives an additional impetus to economic cooperation within the SCO. The Agreement has provided the legal framework of parity conditions for road carriers and a uniform basis for international road transportation between Eastern Europe and the eastern shores of Russia and China.

A major feature of this agreement is its openness to non-members, which has immediately attracted the attention of SCO neighbors in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific.

The document goes far beyond the transport sector as its implementation will stimulate the entire complex of trade and economic cooperation on the entire Eurasian space, including the attraction of investments in related infrastructure projects.

Further work will also require the simplification of formalities and procedures in such issues as the issuance of visas, border and customs arrangements, transport, phytosanitary and veterinary control.

The implementation of the agreement on road transport will be made easier by the SCO Agreement on Customs Cooperation. The SCO is working on streamlining customs clearance procedures and the movement of transport vehicles across SCO member states, including recognition of customs identification facilities, forms and other documents by parties to the agreement.

The system of such highways will be able to provide a mutually beneficial flow of goods on the territory of Eurasia, as well as to contiguous regions of the world, including Europe and Southeast Asia.

As the agreement is open to the participation of non-member states, some of which have shown great practical interest, there are good prospects for the development of practical cooperation with ASEAN countries in this field.

Humanitarian cooperation is the foundation for strengthening mutual trust, friendship and neighborly relations between nations. Sustainable dialogue of cultures and civilizations, which has developed within the SCO framework, is facilitating mutual cognition, enrichment and, ultimately, better understanding between nations. This is the foremost civilizational mission of the SCO.

To achieve these ends on the Eurasian space, the SCO gradually develops cultural and humanitarian ties, launches educational projects and seminars, and develops tourist programs. At the SCO headquarters in Beijing, cultural events and scientific symposiums are held on a regular basis.

Over the past 16 years, the SCO has become one of the world's largest systems of regional interaction that is focused on guaranteeing political stability, strengthening security and promoting trade and economic cooperation in the interests of mutual development and prosperity of the SCO nations and the whole vast Eurasian region.

The upcoming meeting of the heads of governments of SCO member states will take place in Sochi, Russia, at the very beginning of December. Prime ministers will discuss key issues of trade, economic and humanitarian cooperation within the Association. Taking into consideration the participation of the eight member states' prime ministers, the meeting will be an important step for the development of economic cooperation on the entire Eurasian space, will define the new contours of regional economic architecture.

Definitely, of particular importance for the further development of international cooperation in the region is the outcome of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which defined the main directions of development of the PRC over the next five years. I believe that continued commitment to China's further movement along the path of reforms and opening-up, the maintenance of global peace and stability, development of international cooperation in politics, trade and investment, and expansion of economic and humanitarian ties will also contribute to regional cooperation within the SCO, strengthening the organization and its role in the region and the world.

(HK Edition 11/03/2017 page24)