Azerbaijan to receive new status as SCO Partner under revised framework

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has announced the creation of a new consolidated partnership status — the SCO Partner— as part of an institutional reform aimed at streamlining its engagement with non-member states.

The decision was formally outlined in the Tianjin Declaration, adopted by heads of state during the recent SCO summit held in Tianjin, China, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

According to the declaration, the SCO has merged the previously distinct classifications of “Observer State” and “Dialogue Partner” into a single unified category now officially titled SCO Partner. The reform seeks to simplify the organization’s external engagement structure and strengthen its cooperative frameworks with a wider range of countries.

This change paves the way for Azerbaijan, currently a Dialogue Partner, to acquire the new SCO Partner designation — a status that will formalize and potentially deepen Baku’s involvement in multilateral cooperation within the organization.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, founded in 2001, is one of the world’s largest regional blocs, both in terms of geographic scope and population. Its current full members include India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and most recently, Belarus, which was granted full membership in 2024.

Prior to the reform, the SCO maintained three tiers of engagement: Full Members, Observer States, and Dialogue Partners. Under the revised model, Observer States such as Afghanistan and Mongolia, as well as Dialogue Partners including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bahrain, Egypt, Cambodia, Qatar, Kuwait, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Sri Lanka, will now fall under the broader “SCO Partner” umbrella.

By Vafa Guliyeva