SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANISATION (SCO)

08.10.2024

SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANISATION (SCO)

Why in the news?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will travel to Islamabad to attend the Heads of Government meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on October 15 and 16.

Key point:

The last time an Indian External Affairs Minister travelled to Pakistan was Sushma Swaraj in 2015 for the Heart of Asia conference and bilateral talks.

About Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

• It is a Eurasian political, economic, international security and defense organization.
• The SCO originated from the "Shanghai Five," formed in 1996, consisting of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
• It was created to address concerns about extremist religious groups and ethnic tensions following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991.
• SCO was established on 15th June 2001, in Shanghai, adding Uzbekistan as a sixth member.
• Before the inclusion of Belarus, it had nine members: India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
• Afghanistan and Mongolia hold Observer Status.
• New Membership:  Belarus has become the 10th member state of the SCO. The Indian External Affairs Minister met with Belarusian counterpart to strengthen bilateral ties.

The goals of the SCO are:

• to strengthen mutual trust, friendship and good-neighbourliness between the Member States;
• to encourage the effective cooperation between the Member States in such spheres as politics, trade, economy, science and technology, culture, education, energy, transport, tourism, environmental protection, etc;
• to jointly ensure and maintain peace, security and stability in the region; and
• to promote a new democratic, fair and rational international political and economic international order.
• Internally, the SCO adheres to the “Shanghai spirit”, namely, mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations and pursuit of common development; and externally, it upholds non-alignment, non-targeting at other countries or regions and the principle of openness.

Structure

• Council of Heads of States : The supreme decision-making body, meets annually.
• Council of Heads of Government : Meets once a year to discuss the strategy of multilateral cooperation and priority areas within the Organization, determine fundamental and topical issues in economic and other spheres, and approve the budget of the SCO.
• In addition to the meetings of the CHS and the CHG, there are also mechanisms for meetings on foreign affairs, national defense, security, economy and trade, culture, health, education, transport etc.
• The Council of National Coordinators is the SCO coordination mechanism.
• Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS): Based in Tashkent, focused on combating terrorism, extremism, and cyber threats.
• The official languages of the SCO are Russian and Chinese.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization Significance

• Areas of Cooperation: The SCO has mainly focused on regional security issues, its fight against regional terrorism, ethnic separatism, and religious extremism, and promoted regional development.
• Accommodating large population and world GDP: It covers 40%of the global population, nearly 20% of the global GDP and 22% of the world’s land mass.
• Strategic significance: The SCO has the potential to act as a catalyst for achieving regional integration among Asian countries and promoting stability across borders. Additionally, the SCO's efforts can foster improved connectivity throughout its area.
• Bulwark against terrorism and drug trafficking: It has focused not only on counter-terrorism but also on drug trafficking, military cooperation, and economic collaboration.
• Comparison with QUAD: SCO has displayed a much greater capacity to advance shared military and security goals through its range of initiatives such as “Peace Mission” drills that involve all members than the reformed Quad has been able to do thus far.

What is the importance and relevance of SCO for India?

• Counter-terrorism: The SCO focuses on counter-terrorism and security cooperation, which is a key concern for India, given its long-standing conflict with Pakistan and the increasing threat of terrorism in the region.
• Regional stability: As a member of the SCO, India has the opportunity to contribute to the maintenance of regional stability and security in Central Asia and beyond.
• Connectivity: The SCO has emphasized connectivity and infrastructure development, which aligns with India's own priorities of enhancing connectivity with its neighbors and improving its own infrastructure.
• Economic cooperation: The SCO will help India to enhance economic cooperation with member countries, which could potentially lead to greater access to markets, technology, and investment opportunities.
• Multilateral diplomacy: The SCO provides India with a platform to engage in multilateral diplomacy and deepen its engagement with member countries.
• Boosting relations with Central Asia: SCO is a potential platform to advance India’s Connect Central Asia policy.

What are the Ongoing Conflicts between Members of SCO?

• India and China have ongoing conflicts over border issues. Despite several rounds of talks, tensions have not eased.
• India and Pakistan face tension due to state-sponsored terrorism. Frequent ceasefire violations on the India-Pakistan border are also concerning.
• Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have border issues and pose a threat to regional stability.
• The border area between Taliban-led Afghanistan and Pakistan is unstable, leading to conflicts between the two countries.

                                                            Source: The Hindu