The 2025 SCO Summit was not just a gathering of world leaders, but it was the truest manifestation of the growing multipolar world and genuine representation of the Global South.
The SCO represents around 50 percent of the world population and covers almost 60 percent of the total Eurasian continental area. In terms of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the SCO countries hold a little more than 25 percent of the global economy. These credentials make SCO an indispensable international organization for a range of purposes, from resolving geopolitical issues to enhancing mutual cooperation. The establishment of a new financial and monetary assistance instrument known as the SCO Development Bank is a groundbreaking initiative that could greatly help member countries like Pakistan and Iran to overcome their financial burdens.
Who attended the 2025 SCO Summit
The 2025 SCO Summit was attended by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Armenia; President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan; President Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus; Prime Minister Hun Manet, Cambodia; President of China Xi Jinping, China; Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Egypt; President Mohamed Muizzu, Maldives; President Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar; Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Vietnam; President Thongloun Sisoulith, Laos; Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India; Foreign Minister Sugiono, Indonesia; President Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran; President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kazakhstan; President Sadyr Japarov, Kyrgyzstan; President Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh, Mongolia; Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Nepal; Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan; President Vladimir Putin, Russia; President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey; President Emomali Rahmon, Tajikistan; President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Turkmenistan; President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Uzbekistan; and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia.
The 2025 SCO Summit was also attended by the Secretary General of SCO Nurlan Yermekbayev, who is a politician from Kazakhstan and a military general from the Kazakhstan Army. Colonel Ularbeek Zarlykovich Sharshee, Director Executive Committee of Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) also attended the summit.
Many representatives of international and regional organizations were present at the event. These include António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations Organization; Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary General of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN); Sergey Lebedev, Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS); Imangali Tasmagambetov, Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO); Bakhytjan Sagintayev, Chairman of the Eurasian Economic Union; Ambassador Asad Majeed Khan, Secretary General of Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO); Kairat Sarybay, Secretary General of Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA); and Jin Liqun, President of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
China’s Global Governance Initiative
At the SCO Summit, President Xi Jinping announced the Global Governance Initiative that is aimed at fostering the vision of the United Nations among the world nations. The initiative has five core principles, namely, i) sovereign equality, ii) rule of law, iii) multilateralism, iv) people-centred approach, v) staying committed to real results.
The SCO and Making of a Multipolar World
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced the 10-Year Roadmap for a multipolar world. It means that by 2035, the world affairs will be run by on the principle of sovereign equality and multilateralism. It is also believed that China and Russia likely will leverage more using BRICS and engage more countries using the same platform. I believe that in the making of the multipolar world, the SCO and BRICS will play a larger role, and these platforms will greatly help the Global South in achieving more connectivity and mutual prosperity.
The SCO Summit is Russia’s Success
It was wrongly believed that since Russia’s Special Military Operation in Ukraine started in February 2022, Russia was under severe international isolation and even regional seclusion. However, being a great power and a member of the United Nations Security Council, Russia is an essential and unforgettable member of the international community. That is why, President Vladimir Putin received an extraordinary reception at the SCO Summit and is likely to visit many countries, including Pakistan, for bilateral talks and subsequent agreements.
President Putin’s participation at the SCO Summit also reveals that together with countries like China, Pakistan, India, Iran, Central Asian Republics – Russia could be the truest and most trustworthy leader of the Global South. President Putin argued about “genuine multilateralism” during the SCO Summit.
Conclusions
The SCO Summit 2025 is a moment of great concern for the West, its allies, and its financial as well as monetary systems. It is commendable that China and Russia have rallied the Global South under the SCO and their endeavours likely will yield more positive results. Keeping in view the relevance and importance of the SCO, its membership likely will increase in the years to come, and more countries will accept the SCO and the multipolar world.
It is noteworthy that during the SCO Summit 2025, heads of state of Pakistan, Iran, and India were also present, and in May and June this year, Pakistan and India fought a brief war; whereas, Iran and Israel went to war against each other, respectively. However, besides their wars and the subsequent cease-fire, Iran, Pakistan, and India attended the SCO Summit. It tells one thing in particular: that the SCO is effectively acting as an alternative to the United Nations and other fora of international mediation and arbitration for resolving conflicts and other mutual disagreements.
Muhammad Ali Baig – is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Strategic Studies, Islamabad (ISSI), Pakistan. He is a Ph.D. candidate and a distinguished graduate of National Defence University (NDU), Islamabad, Pakistan
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