Context
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Iran and Belarus are likely to be the two newest additions to the China and Russia-backed Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) grouping.
Key Details
- Expanding the group is among the issues that leaders of the grouping which are likely to discuss at the SCO summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in September.
- The significance of this round of expansion is that it shows the SCO’s rising international influence and that the principles of the SCO charter are being widely accepted.
- China and Russia are looking to frame the grouping as a counter to the West — particularly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
- The expansion of NATO is totally different as the SCO is a cooperative organisation based on non-alignment and not targeting a third party. NATO is based on Cold War thinking. The logic of NATO is creating new enemies to sustain its own existence.
- India will host the SCO summit next year, and Varanasi has been selected as the SCO region’s first “Tourism and Cultural Capital”.
- The significance of this round of expansion is that it shows SCO’s rising international influence and that the principles of the SCO charter are widely accepted, he said. The expansion of NATO is totally different as the SCO is a cooperative organisation based on non-alignment and not targeting a third party, while NATO is based on Cold War thinking.
- The SCO believes one should not build its security at the expense of other countries while NATO is creating new enemies to sustain its own existence, he said.
- The SCO member states are thinking of how to adapt to the profound changes that the international situation is undergoing so as to make the international order fairer and more reasonable, he said.
- There has been discussion in the international arena that the trend of non-alignment is back, he said, adding that SCO is opposed to the approach of group politics.
- Samarkand summit is expected to have agreements on connectivity and high-efficiency transport corridors and a roadmap for local currency settlement among member states.
Back to Basics
About SCO
- A permanent intergovernmental international organization.
- A Eurasian political, economic and military organization aiming to maintain peace, security, and stability in the region.
- It was created in 2001. Prior to the creation of SCO in 2001, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan were members of the Shanghai Five.
- The SCO Charter was signed in 2002 and entered into force in 2003.
- India and Pakistan became members in 2017.
- SCO Secretariat which is based in Beijing to provide informational, analytical & organizational support.
- The SCO currently comprises nine Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Iran, and Uzbekistan), and six “Dialogue Partners” (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Turkey).
- It is the world’s largest regional organization, covering approximately 60% of the area of Eurasia, 40% of the world population, and more than 30% of global GDP.
- The SCO is governed by the Heads of State Council (HSC), its supreme decision-making body, which meets once a year.
- Military exercises are also regularly conducted among members to promote cooperation and coordination against terrorism and other external threats, and to maintain regional peace and stability.
- The SCO is widely regarded as the “alliance of the East”, due to its growing centrality in Asia-Pacific, and has been the primary security pillar of the region.
Cooperation on security
- The SCO is primarily centered on security-related concerns, often describing the main threats it confronts as being terrorism, separatism and extremism.
- At SCO summit, held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on 16–17 June 2004, the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) was established.
- The SCO signed an agreement with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe, to broaden cooperation on issues such as security, crime, and drug trafficking.
Economic cooperation
- Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are also members of the Eurasian Economic Union.
- A Framework Agreement to enhance economic cooperation was signed by the SCO member states on 23 September 2003.
- Iran will host SCOCOEX, an international conference and exhibition on economic cooperation opportunities available to the SCO member states and partners.
Reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Cooperation_Organisation
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