The

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

(SCO) is an international alliance that consists of 8 member states and 4 observers from

Eurasia Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago ...

. It was established on 26 April 1996 as the Shanghai Five. In addition to the 8

member state A member state is a state that is a member of an international organization or of a federation or confederation. Since the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) include some members that are not sovereign state ...

s and 4 observers, the SCO currently has 9 dialogue partners and 4 guest attendance entries.

Member states

Military personnel

''The following list is sourced from the 2018 edition of "The Military Balance" published annually by the

International Institute for Strategic Studies The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is a British research institute or think tank in the area of international affairs. Since 1997, its headquarters have been Arundel House in London, England. The 2017 Global Go To Think ...

.'' ;Notes

Observer states

Dialogue partner entries

Future participation

Observer Iran has submitted an application for full membership. On September 17, 2021, the SCO has officially launched the procedures of Iran's accession to the SCO as a full member, which are expected to take "a fair amount of time". Meanwhile, in 2012 Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, East Timor, Nepal and Sri Lanka applied for observer status within the organization. Egypt and Syria has also submitted an application for observer status, while Egypt, Israel, Maldives and Ukraine have applied for dialogue partner status. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar has officially applied to join the SCO. In 2022, Erdogan announced that Turkey would seek full SCO membership status.

Guest attendance entries

* Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) * Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) * Turkmenistan

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation International military organizations Countries by international organization