SCO Defence Ministers Meeting

Context

Recently, India has participated in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers meeting which was  held in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Key Highlights

• The SCO Defence Ministers agreed to broaden the idea of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’, rooted in the historical Indian philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’.
• India reiterated its steadfast commitment closer to preserving peace, balance, and security in the SCO region.
• India emphasized the want to undertake a zero-tolerance approach toward terrorism in all its forms for the prosperity and development of the SCO Member States.
• India highlighted its long-status proposal for a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism in the United Nations. 
• India additionally underscored the concept of ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR)’, proposed by India for the Indo-Pacific.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)

• • It is a permanent intergovernmental global corporation established on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai (PRC) by the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan.
  • Composition: Currently, the SCO international locations includes: 9 Member States — the Republic of India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, the Republic of Uzbekistan.
  • The official languages of the SCO are Russian and Chinese.
  • The Organization has 2 bodies — the Secretariat in Beijing and the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) in Tashkent. 

• The goals of the SCO are:
• • To strengthen mutual trust, friendship and good-neighbourliness between the Member States;
  • To inspire the effective cooperation between the Member States in such spheres as politics, alternate, financial system, science and era, tradition, training, power, shipping, tourism, environmental protection, etc;
  • To collectively make sure and hold peace, safety and balance in the place; and
  • To promote a brand new democratic, fair and rational international political and monetary global order.
• International Collaborations: The SCO has installed partnerships with the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), UNESCO,  , the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Tourism Organization (WTO), 

India and SCO 

• India has been actively collaborating in SCO and offering considerable help to diverse mechanisms inside the discussion board.
• Since its accession as a full – fledged Member State in 2017, India has maintained an energetic engagement with the company. 
• India is focusing on starting up proposals for mutual gain of SCO Member States, Observers and Dialogue Partners.
• The SCO offers India the risk to protect, advance, and exhibit its geostrategic and geo economic pursuits in the Central Asian and South Asian regions.
• India used the SCO as a platform to steady its northern border from Pakistan’s country-backed terrorism. 
• During the 2023 presidency, India took a sturdy stance to promote new regions of development, consisting of startups and innovation, traditional remedy, digital inclusion, youth empowerment, and the shared Buddhist background among most of the SCO member states.
  • India established two new mechanisms—the Special Working Group on Startups and Innovation and the Expert Working Group on Traditional Medicine—notably demonstrating New Delhi’s dedication to contributing to local financial and social modifications. 
• The Summit followed the ‘SECURE’ SCO theme, where S stands for security of citizens; E for economic development for all; C for connecting the region; U for uniting the people; R for respect for sovereignty and integrity; and E for environmental protection. 
• India’s demand for “an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-managed” peace method acquired aid from all SCO Central Asian members and Russia.
• The agreements on counterterrorism, security cooperation, and defence among India and the Central Asian Republics in addition demonstrated the great development made by using New Delhi thru the SCO.
• The Chinese BRI initiatives have created a debt disaster and violated the sovereignty and integrity of SCO international locations. 
• To triumph over the China-Pakistan axis, New Delhi invested in Chabahar Port and the 7,200-km long International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC).
• These connectivity projects led by using New Delhi are consultive, obvious, reasonably priced, and dependable.

Source: The Hindu

UPSC Mains Practice Question

Q.Critically examine the aims and objectives of SCO. What importance does it hold for India? (2021)

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