The 2017 SCO summit was the 17th annual summit of

heads of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and ...

of the

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation russian: Шанхайская Организация Сотрудничества , image = , caption = , logo = SCO logo.svg , logo_size = 160px , map = Shanghai Cooperati ...

held between 7 - 10 June in

Astana Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmola Region, tho ...

, Kazakhstan. The upgrading of the membership of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

to full members was one of the major topics, beside from security related topics, the Belt and Road Initiative and economic cooperation.

Background

On 21 April 2017 the foreign ministers met in Astana to prepare the meeting. The summit was planned to be before the opening of the

Expo 2017 Expo 2017 Astana was an International Exposition which took place from June 10 to September 10, 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan. The expo's theme was "Future Energy", and aimed to create a global debate between countries, nongovernmental organizati ...

, which also takes place in Astana.

India and Pakistan acceptance

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.

Belt and Road initiative

The summit in Astana was the first state visit of China's President

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, ...

after the

Belt and Road Forum The Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (also known as the Belt and Road Forum or BaRF) is an international political and economical forum of the Belt and Road Initiative. 2017 The first event was on 14 and 15 May 2017 in Beijing, ...

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.

Security issues and anti-terrorism

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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:SCO summit,2017 2017 in Kazakhstan 21st-century diplomatic conferences Diplomatic conferences in Kazakhstan History of Astana Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summits June 2017 events in Kazakhstan

Background

India and Pakistan acceptance

Belt and Road initiative

Security issues and anti-terrorism

See also

References