Like Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, the Russian Federation is a founding member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which was established in 2001.
Active participation in the SCO is one of Russia's foreign policy priorities for the Asia-Pacific region.
Meetings of the heads of SCO member states have been held in three Russian cities: St. Petersburg (2002), Moscow (2003) and Yekaterinburg (2009). The SCO's Council of Heads of Government (prime ministers) met in 2005 in Moscow, the Council of Foreign Ministers met in 2002 and 2004 in Moscow, and the heads of member states' parliaments met in 2006 in Moscow.
The SCO Forum, which emerged from a proposal originally put forth by the Russian Federation, serves as a platform to foster interaction between the research and political science centres of member states. The charters for the Meeting of Defence Ministers and inter-parliamentary interaction were adjusted, and a Business Council and the Interbank Association were also founded.
In 2009, the one-year term of Russian presidency of the SCO came to an end. During this period, the SCO was able to gain a certain momentum in its work, something that has been noted by all member states. During the Russian presidency, a variety of important measures were implemented. In March 2009, the SCO held a special conference in Moscow on Afghanistan. From April to May of 2009, meetings of SCO member states' general public prosecutors, secretaries of security councils, ministers of internal affairs and public safety ministers, defence ministers, and heads of narcotic enforcement agencies were held. At the initiative of Russia, the member states of the SCO founded the SCO Youth Council during their session in May 2009 in Yekaterinburg.
Current initiatives with other member states include initiatives such as the establishing charters for environmental protection agencies, an SCO Centre for the prevention of natural and man-made disasters, an energy club, and an SCO University.
The SCO is also addressing the increasingly important issue of international information security (IIS). On August 16, 2007 in Bishkek, the SCO Council of Heads of State (CHS) confirmed a programme for ensuring IIS. On June 16, 2009 in Yekaterinburg, SCO member states signed an intergovernmental agreement calling for cooperation in ensuring IIS.
Russia actively cooperates with the other member states within the framework of the SCO's Regional Antiterrorist Structure (RATS), and has proposed a series of agreements in connection with efforts to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism. Russia also participates in RATS counterterrorism exercises.
In August 2007, SCO member states carried out Peace Mission - 2007, their first major counterterrorism exercises (in Chebarkul, Chelyabinsk Region). In early September 2008 in Volgograd, the intelligence services from SCO member states arranged the Volgograd Anti-terror -2008 joint counterterrorism exercises.
Russian contributions account for 24% of the SCO budget. Accordingly, a seven out of every thirty personnel employed at the SCO Secretariat in Beijing and RATS Executive committee in Tashkent are from Russia. This includes the positions of Assistant Secretary General of the SCO and Deputy Director of the RATS Executive committee.