Modi heads to SCO meet: What role does the organisation play in global affairs?
PremiumThe Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting will be held on September 15 and 16 at Samarkand in Uzbekistan
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi flies to Samarkand in Uzbekistan for a meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), which is expected to discuss regional political, security and economic issues, Mint explains the past, present and future role of the organisation in global affairs.
What is the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation?
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation began as a grouping of the Russian Federation, Central Asian republics and China in the late 1990s. Back then, it was intended to function as a minilateral body that would build trust and reduce tensions between these erstwhile rivals in the aftermath of the end of the Cold War. The SCO as it stands today was founded in 2001 and India joined the grouping in 2017 along with Pakistan.
According to the Dushanbe Declaration of 2021, The SCO believes in “principles of mutual respect for independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, equality and mutual benefit, peaceful settlement of possible disputes through dialogue and mutual consultation, non-interference in internal affairs, non-use of military force or threat of force, rejection of unilateral military superiority in adjoining areas."
How does the grouping function?
At the highest level, the SCO functions through a series of high level political cooperation mechanisms. These include regular meetings like the Council of Heads of State, the Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) and the Council of Foreign Ministers. These seek to boost interaction and dialogue between the members of the organisation.
Following this, the SCO establishes cooperation between members on a variety of functional issues like economic development, security and anti-terrorism. For example, in the field of security, the grouping has established institutions like the SCO Counter-Terrorism Centre, the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), the SCO Information Security Centre and the SCO Center against International Organized Crime to bring about regular cooperation between member countries.
What will Prime Minister Modi discuss at the Summit?
PM Modi will participate in a meeting of the Council of the Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The meeting, which will be held on September 15 and 16, 2022, will be the 22nd meeting of the Council.
According to a release by the Ministry of External Affairs, “the SCO Summit will be attended by leaders of SCO Member States, Observer States, Secretary General of the SCO, Executive Director of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), President of Turkmenistan and other invited guests."
During the upcoming Summit, “the leaders are expected to review the organization’s activities over the past two decades and discuss the state and prospects of multilateral cooperation in the future. Topical issues of regional and global importance are also expected to be discussed at the meeting." the MEA statement reads.
What is India’s interest in SCO?
By participating in the SCO, India will be able to secure some of its economic, security and political goals with regard to Central Asia.
Firstly, India’s trade with numerous Central Asian Republics has been growing. As a full member of the SCO, it can shape the agenda, drive connectivity and boost economic growth in the region.
Secondly, the SCO is committed to increasing cooperation between members on anti-terrorism, cross-border organised crime, border security, illegal migration and human trafficking among other issues. As such, the organisation allows India another grouping through which it can target its regional security challenges.
Thirdly, the SCO also holds regular military drills and exercises that train forces to carry out counter-terrorism missions and improve force preparedness to meet regional security needs.
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