| 2017 SCO summit | |
|---|---|
| Host country |  Kazakhstan |
| Date | 7-10 June 2017 |
| Cities | Astana |
The 2017 SCO summit was the 17th annual summit of heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation held between 7 - 10 June in Astana, Kazakhstan. [1] The upgrading of the membership of India and Pakistan to full members was one of the major topics, beside from security related topics, the Belt and Road Initiative and economic cooperation. [2]
On 21 April 2017 the foreign ministers met in Astana to prepare the meeting. [3] The summit was planned to be before the opening of the Expo 2017, which also takes place in Astana.
The acceptance of India and Pakistan to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was the first since 2001. This makes the SCO the largest and most populous international regional cooperation organization.
The summit in Astana was the first state visit of China's President Xi Jinping after the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing. The linking of SCO to the initiative was a major concern of the Chinese government. With Pakistan on a strategic position of the New Silk Road, the summit was thought to have a positive effect on further developments. Also the Belt and Road Initiative was also first proposed by President Xi in Kazakhstan in 2013.
One of the major tasks of the SCO is the combat against terrorism, which is believed to be strengthened through the acceptance of the new members. [4]
Foreign relations of Kazakhstan are primarily based on economic and political security. The Nazarbayev administration has tried to balance relations with Russia and the United States by sending petroleum and natural gas to its northern neighbor at artificially low prices while assisting the U.S. in the War on Terror. Kazakhstan is a member of the United Nations, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, North Atlantic Cooperation Council, Commonwealth of Independent States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and NATO's Partnership for Peace program. Kazakhstan established a customs union with Russia and Belarus, transformed into the Eurasian Economical Community then in 2015 into the Eurasian Economic Union. President Nazarbayev has prioritized economic diplomacy into Kazakhstan's foreign policy.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic, International security and defence organization. It is the world's largest regional organization in terms of geographic scope and population, covering approximately 60% of the area of Eurasia, 40% of the world population, and more than 30% of global GDP.
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With the collapse of the Soviet Union, that de facto US-China alliance ended, and a China–Russia rapprochement began. In 1992, the two countries declared that they were pursuing a "constructive partnership"; in 1996, they progressed toward a "strategic partnership"; and in 2001, they signed a treaty of "friendship and cooperation."
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