Major Highlights of 21st Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

• At the meet the focus was primarily on the ground situation in Afghanistan and its global repercussions.
• Iran has been accepted as the ninth full member of the organisation.

India’s Stand:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the recent developments in Afghanistan will have the greatest impact on neighbouring countries like India and added that there was a need for regional focus and cooperation on the situation in the country.
• India flagged concerns over the serious humanitarian crisis unfolding in Afghanistan, noting that the economic woes of the Afghan people are increasing due to the blockage in financial and trade flows.
• Addressing the virtual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, Modi warned that continued instability and fundamentalism in Afghanistan would encourage terrorist and extremist ideologies all over world.
• “Other extremist groups can also be encouraged to gain power through violence,” he said, adding the change of power in Afghanistan is not inclusive and has happened without negotiation.
• India pointed out that the developments in the country could lead to an uncontrolled flow of drugs, illegal weapons and human trafficking.
• PM said that India is committed to increasing its connectivity with Central Asia. Asserting that there should be respect for the territorial integrity of all countries.

About Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

• Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic and military organisation.
• Having begun as the Shanghai Five in 1996 by the leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, it was rechristened as the SCO in 2001.
• The SCO entered into force on 19 September 2003.

The aim of SCO is to establish cooperation between member nations on:

• Security-related concerns
• Resolving border issues
• Military cooperation
• Intelligence sharing
• Countering terrorism
• Countering American influence in Central Asia

Members of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

• Apart from the founding members, Uzbekistan joined the group later as a permanent member.
• India and Pakistan are the newest inclusion to the Organisation and it added another 1.45 billion people in the SCO making the group cover around 40 per cent of the global population.
• Both these nations signed the memoranda for becoming a permanent members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in 2017.
• The eight permanent members of the SCO are:
  • China
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Russia
  • Tajikistan
  • Uzbekistan
  • India
  • Pakistan
  • Iran has been accepted as the ninth full member of the organisation.

The Heads of State Council (HSC) is the supreme decision-making body in the SCO

The current Council of Heads of State consists of:

• Ram Nath Kovind (India)
• Vladimir Putin (Russia)
• Xi Jinping (China)
• Shavkat Mirziyoyev (Uzbekistan)
• Arif Alvi (Pakistan)
• Sooronbai Jeenbekov (Kyrgyzstan)
• Emomali Rahmon (Tajikistan)
• Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (Kazakhstan)

SCO summits

• Members of the SCO meet once a year and adopt decisions and guidelines on all important matters of the organisation.

Why India's membership to SCO matters?

• Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is seen as an eastern counter-balance to NATO. With India being its member, it will allow the country to push effective action in combating terrorism and on issues related to security.
•  With the presence of India and China, the world's most populous countries, SCO is now the organisation that has the largest population coverage.
• Source:- Indian Express, BS