The article analyzes the historical conditions of creation of the Shanghai cooperation organization (SCO). The main defining event of the creation of the organization was the decision of the forum Shanghai Five (the name comes from the five mill forum members Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) in Russia in the Global World № 8 (31) 2016 681 1996 in Shanghai. The basis for the opening of the forum was two papers: "Russian- Chinese agreement on confidence-building measures in the border area" and multilateral "agreement on mutual reduction of armed forces in the border area". The focus of the organization are the issues of foreign policy, Economics, environmental protection, including the use of water resources, culture, etc.