THE PROSPECTS OF SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION TURNING INTO A COUNTERWEIGHT TO THE NATO ALLIANCE.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (hereafter: the SCO) is a continental-sized organization that could rise up into a political-military alliance. At first it serves as Eurasian political, economic and security treaty under the bilateral alliance between China and Russia. It was created joined by four out of five Central Asian states: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, which create a security buffer at the Russia's southern flank. The observer states in the SCO: Turkey, Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Mongolia, and Belarus, are a part of this international organization. The continental sphere of influence of the SCO's forerunners Russia and China is even broader (Armenia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan), and some Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, Kuwait, Iraq, despite the still dominant US presence in the Gulf. A joint multidimensional cooperation could transform the SCO into a defense union and a counterweight rivalling NATO. Defence, security, logistics, economic market etc. are neuralgic spheres of mutual interests to take into considerations to fuse these states and other MENA states in Africa and sub-Saharan states. The USA has also gained some advantage hence Uzbekistan had abandoned the Shanghai Six. However, since 2017, India and Pakistan had joined with full membership. The geopolitical role of the SCO is widening and deepening dialogue with other regional Asian states. The topic of this paper is dedicated to combat terrorism, separatism, and extremism by implementing further essentials goals, means and resources those are necessary to form a future defense union. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]