Court of the Eurasian Economic Union

The Court of the Eurasian Economic Union replaced the Court of the Eurasian Economic Community (EurAsEC Court) in 2015. It is in charge of dispute resolution and the interpretation of the legal order within the Eurasian Economic Union. Its headquarters is in Minsk. The court is composed of two judges from each member state, appointed by the heads of government of the member states. Their term of office is nine years.

There have been discussions on free trade negotiations with over 30 different countries, some of them resulting in the preliminary feasibility studies. Such feasibility studies have been conducted with India, the Republic of Korea

One of the key initiatives in the field of free trade and economic cooperation is the proposal on "linking" the Eurasian economic integration and China's strategic "Silk Road Economic Belt" project. The relevant communique was signed by Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping on 8 March 2015.

Official languages of the Union are Armenian, Belarusian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz and Russian.

 

The Collective Security Treaty (CST) was signed on May 15, 1992 in Tashkent, by the Heads of six countries: Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Subsequently, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Belarus joined it. The treaty was registered by the UN Secretariat on November 1, 1995. Among the first documents adopted in 1995 were “Declaration of Member States of the CST”, “The Concept of collective security of Member States of the CST”, the document about “Basic directions of deepening military cooperation”. At the Session of the Council of Collective Security on April 2, 1999 in Moscow the Protocol of prolongation of the Collective Security Treaty was signed. It was ratified by all member states. According to the Protocol the Treaty is automatically renewed every five years.

It was decided to transform the CST into a full-fledged international organization – the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) at the Moscow session of the Collective Security Treaty on May 14, 2002. On October 7, 2002 the Charter of the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Agreement on legal status of the CSTO were signed in Kishinev and came into force on September 18, 2003.

On December 2, 2004, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution granting the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) an observer status in the UN General Assembly. Initially, the Treaty promoted the creation of national armed forces of Member States, providing adequate conditions for their independent state development.

Memorandum of improvement of CST effectiveness and its adaptation to the new geopolitical situation adopted by the Council of Collective Security in 2000 became a qualitatively new stage of CST development. By its implementation, the Treaty was aimed to deflect new challenges and threats to regional and international security. The Agreement on basic principles of military and technical cooperation signed in 2000 became an important step to promote military and technical cooperation. Collective Rapid Deployment Forces of the Central Asia Region were created in 2001 and that was an important step in creation and development of military activity of the CST. The Secretariat of Council of Collective Security with adequate working potential was formed and mechanism of consultations was organized at the level of the Council of Collective Security, the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, the Council of Ministers of Defense as well as with participation of deputies of ministers of foreign affairs, deputies of ministers of defense, experts of Member States, their authorized representatives to the Standing Council with the CSTO.

The key objectives of the CSTO are provision of national and collective security, intensive military-political cooperation and integration, foreign policy coordination on international and regional security issues, the establishment of multilateral cooperation mechanisms, including a military component, the development of cooperation in the counteraction to modern challenges and security threats, such as international terrorism, drug trafficking, illegal migration, transnational organized crime, information and cyber security, military-technical cooperation.

At the present stage the CSTO has transformed from a “classic” military-political bloc, focused on protecting allies from foreign aggression, into a multifunctional regional organization that can provide a comprehensive security of Member States, as well as react quickly and flexibly to a wide range of modern challenges and threats.

The purposes of the Collective Security Treaty Organization are to strengthen peace and international and regional security and stability and to ensure collective protection of independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Member States, in the attainment of which Member States shall give priority to political means.

 

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental international organization creation of which was proclaimed on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai (China) by the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People's Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Prior to that, all the nations mentioned except Uzbekistan were members of the Shanghai Five mechanism, a political association based on the Agreement on Enhancing Trust in the Military Area on the Border (Shanghai, 1996), and the Agreement on Mutual Reduction of Armed Forces in the Border Area (Moscow, 1997). After Uzbekistan joined the organisation in 2001, the Five turned into the Six and was renamed the SCO.

At present five countries (Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia, and Pakistan) have observer-nation status, and three more countries (Belarus, Turkey and Sri Lanka), dialogue partner status.

Initially, the goals of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation were in the area of mutual inter-regional activities on countering terrorist acts, separatism and extremism in Central Asia. In June 2002, The Charter of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was signed at the organisation's Summit in St. Petersburg, which went into effect on 19 September 2003. This is a core charter document stating the organisation's goals and principles, its structure and major activities. In addition, the SCO's plans on fighting the international drug mafia as a financial buttress of global terrorism were announced in 2006, while in 2008, it announced its active participation in normalising the situation in Afghanistan.

In parallel to this, the SCO's activities also acquired a wide economic dimension. In September 2003 heads of government of the SCO member states signed the Program of Multilateral Trade and Economic Cooperation, designed for 20 years. Its long-term goal is the creation of a free trade zone in the SCO space, while favourable conditions for trade and investment are to be promoted in the short-term perspective.

The main goals of the SCO are strengthening mutual confidence and good-neighbourly relations among the member countries; promoting effective cooperation in politics, trade and economy, science and technology, culture as well as education, energy, transportation, tourism, environmental protection and other fields; making joint efforts to maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region, moving towards the establishment of a new, democratic, just and rational political and economic international order.

The SCO pursues its internal policy based on the principles of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equal rights, consultations, respect for the diversity of cultures and aspiration towards common development, its external policy is conducted in accordance with the principles of non-alignment, non-targeting anyone and openness.

The Heads of State Council (HSC) is the highest decision-making body in the SCO. The Heads of Government Council (HGC) meets once every year to discuss a strategy for multilateral cooperation and priority directions within the Organisation's framework, to solve some important and pressing issues of cooperation in economic and other areas as well as to adopt the Organization's annual budget. Besides sessions of the HSC and the HGC there are also mechanisms of meetings on the level of Speakers of Parliament, Secretaries of Security Councils, Foreign Ministers, Ministers of Defence, Emergency Relief, Economy, Transportation, Culture, Education, Healthcare, Heads of Law Enforcement Agencies, Supreme Courts and Courts of Arbitration, Prosecutors General.

The Council of National Coordinators of SCO Member States (CNC) is in charge of coordinating interaction within the SCO framework. The Organisation has two permanent bodies - the Secretariat in Beijing (China) and the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure in Tashkent. SCO Secretary-General and RATS Executive Committee Director are appointed by the HSC for a period of three years. The Secretariat is the main permanent executive body of the SCO and fulfills the following duties:

1. Coordinates and provides informational, analytical, legal, organisational and technical support of the activity of the Organisation, in conjunction with the SCO RATS, formulates proposals concerning the development of cooperation in the SCO framework and external ties of the Organisation, oversees the fulfillment of decisions adopted by the SCO bodies.

2. In interaction with Permanent Representatives composes draft documents based on proposals of the member states and with the consent of the Council of National Coordinators circulates them among the member states for further consideration by the SCO institutions, including draft agendas of forthcoming meetings and/or sessions of the SCO institutions, as well as necessary materials; agrees dates and venues of meetings and/or sessions of the SCO institutions.

3. In interaction with the Council of National Coordinators arranges consultations of experts of the member states on draft documents submitted to meetings and/or sessions of the SCO institutions for their consideration.

Russian and Chinese were adopted as the official working languages in the SCO.

The rotating presidency of the SCO member states is held in one year cycles. The chairing nation completes its year of presidency with a summit.

                              Glossary.

to be established in full compliance with UN principles – быть созданным в полном соответствии с принципами ООН

to be ratified by member states – быть ратифицированным странами-членами

the status of observer (an observer status) - статус наблюдателя

to be exempt from customs duties and economic restrictions – быть освобождённым от таможенных пошлин и экономических ограничений

to approve decisions on a consensus basis – одобрить решение на основе консенсуса

a subsidiary body – вспомогательный орган

a decision-making body – орган, принимающий решения

branch council –подразделение совета

to be a standing body of – быть постоянно действующим органом

in accordance with the principles of non-alignment – в соответствии с политикой неприсоединения к блокам

to compose draft documents – составлять проекты документов

to agree dates and venues of meetings – согласовывать сроки и места проведения встреч

draft agendas of forthcoming meetings – планируемая повестка дня предстоящих заседаний

official working language – официальный рабочий язык -

rotating presidency – попеременное председательство

a chairing nation – председательствующая страна

                                  

                              Active vocabulary.

 

to implement goals and objectives – реализовывать цели и задачи

to determine priority guidelines – определять приоритетные направления

to deflect new challenges – отклонять новые вызовы

a buttress – устои

short-term perspective – краткосрочная перспектива

to maintain and ensure peace – поддерживать и обеспечивать мир

respect for the diversity of cultures – уважение к многообразию культур

pressing issues of cooperation in economic area – актуальные вопросы сотрудничества в экономической сфере

to discuss a strategy for multilateral cooperation and priority directions – обсуждать стратегию многостороннего сотрудничества и приоритетные направления

to forward a document – переслать документ

 

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