Azerbaijan – SCO: A Multi-Angle, Multi-Level Bilateral Partnership

The invitation from Chinese leadership for Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev to undertake a working visit to China and attend the SCO summit clearly indicates the significant international status Azerbaijan enjoys. The foundation for this geopolitical success was laid by its national leader, Heydar Aliyev. In his 1993 inauguration speech, he emphasized that Azerbaijan’s foreign policy must primarily aim to preserve national independence, defining the key tasks as establishing equal and mutually beneficial relations with all countries, effectively utilizing these relations to strengthen Azerbaijan’s international standing, and promoting its economic, scientific, and cultural development.

 President Ilham Aliyev advances this course on the international stage with meticulous diplomatic means, explicitly upholding a foreign policy philosophy of multi-dimensional engagement. Azerbaijan’s participation in the SCO and the development of Azerbaijan-China relations are manifestations of this philosophy.

In this context, it is noteworthy that at the previous SCO summit in Astana, the Joint Declaration on Building Strategic Partnership was adopted. At that time, the Chinese leader invited Ilham Aliyev for a state visit to China and to participate in this unprecedentedly grand SCO summit. The member states of this organization cover nearly 60% of Eurasia's territory. More striking are the population and economic data: SCO countries account for 40% of the global population and 25% of global GDP.

The current SCO summit, where China undoubtedly plays a leading role, has become the largest since the organization's founding, with leaders from over 20 countries and heads of 10 international organizations participating. This is understandable, as the SCO has proven itself to be a crucial platform for cooperation in regional security, stability, and common development. In the context of today’s ongoing global turbulence and disruptions to traditional transport and logistics routes, the SCO stands out as an organization that meets the demands of the times, emphasizing development, mutual understanding, and mutual benefit.