The Diplomatic Insight Magazine for September has now been published.
Editorial
September marked several significant events worldwide, starting with the sad demise of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, the late Queen Elizabeth II, on September 8, and a significant shift in British monarchy took place as King Charles III inherited the throne.
Many people from around the globe sent their condolences to Britain and the royal family and congratulatory messages to the new King. Kings and Queens, Presidents, Prime Ministers, celebrities, and friends from around the world attended the funeral of the late Queen in Westminster Abbey.
Following it, this month’s most significant geopolitical event was the two-day SCO Summit in the context of political and economic uncertainty. Uzbekistan hosted the Summit at the historic city of Samarkand. Following a series of virtual sessions due to the pandemic, SCO leaders met in person for the first time for this year’s Summit.
It was a highly anticipated occasion, especially for two influential SCO leaders, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who met on the sidelines. This was the first in-person meeting between the two leaders after Beijing Olympics and Ukraine-Russia war.
During the sessions, Putin conceded during the discussion that the Chinese side had “concerns and questions” regarding the Russia-Ukraine war. While on the other hand, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, during the meeting, with President Putin, said that today’s era is not war.
The summit has remained in discussion amongst the media and analysts circles, especially considering the significance of the SCO region, especially in the changing global geopolitical and strategic shifts.
Afghanistan was also an essential point of discussion, especially as the Summit was happening at the time of the first anniversary of the exodus of the US from Afghanistan after 20 long years of stay. However, no Afghan representative was invited, mainly because the incumbent government has not yet been recognized globally as the people’s legitimate representative.
The war clouds were eclipsing the summit; however, there was few positive notes, especially when the Kyrgyz and Tajik leaders met on the sidelines of the SCO Summit to discuss the bilateral issues and the recent skirmish that erupted at the border regions between the two recently.
During the Summit, Iran officially filed its application to become a full member of the SCO, which is likely to take effect within a year. Turkiye revealed its ambition to join the organization in the future. Other Heads of State also participated at the conference to discuss shared security issues, such as Afghanistan.
They reviewed the most important topics impacting world politics and the difficulties the member countries face, including climate change. Following the conference, the leaders adopted 44 papers and signed the ‘Samarkand Declaration .
‘The declarations and memoranda that have been adopted emphasize increasing intraregional trade, expanding the efficiency of global transportation routes, promoting technological, scientific, and industrial cooperation, and introducing innovative medical and agricultural technologies.
Uzbekistan played an essential role in steering and fostering forward regional togetherness with the core shanghai spirit by arranging several important events whole years of its presidency. The SCO will now be chaired by India, which will also host the next conference of the Council of Heads of SCO member states in 2023.
Soon after the SCO Summit, the general debate of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 77) started on September 20 and ran till the 26th. Each General Assembly member had a representative to talk about problems impacting their nation and the UNGA’s expectations for the coming year.
This occasion allowed member states to express their perspectives on international issues of concern to them. This year’s theme for the general debate was “Solutions through Solidarity, Sustainability and Science.”
The month concluded with the start of the fourth World Nomad Games in Lake Iznik in the northern district of Bursa, Turkiye, with over 3,000 athletes from 102 countries participating.
The games, organized by the World Ethnosports Federation, have a theme “we are one from tradition to the future.” Local tastes from various nations also interacted with participants in the gastronomic programs conducted as part of the festival.
