Shanghai Cooperation Organization

The SCO is a permanent intergovernmental international organization established on 2001 in Shanghai by Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyztan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Its predecessor was the mechanism of the Shanghai Five. Currently, the SCO countries includes 9 Member States — India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyztan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan; 3 Observers and 14 dialogue partners..

Goals

• Strengthen mutual trust, friendship, and good-neighborliness
• Cooperate in politics, economy, culture, energy, transport, and environmental protection
• Jointly ensure and maintain peace, security, and stability in the region
• Promote a new democratic, fair, and rational international political and economic order

Significance of the SCO

• Approximately 42% of the world population and 23% of global GDP and 22% of its GDP
• Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) for counter-terrorism
• Improve regional coordination
• Stable Afghanistan
• Alternatives to West-led forums

Relevance for India

• Economic: Enhances the scope of cooperation with Central Asian countries, which are resource-rich like Kazakhstan in Uranium, Turkmenistan in Natural Gas, etc.
• Connectivity: Boost to INSTC and Ashgabat Agreement
• Security: The security concerns are addressed through SCO RATS
• Strategic: Counterbalances China and helps address concerns on the BRI and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is proposed to pass through PoK
• Soft diplomacy: SCO Film Festival and academic scholarships promote cultural exchange; Varanasi being the first cultural capital of SCO

Challenges

• Issues between nations:
  • Pakistan and India
  • Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan border
  • India and China
• Growing convergence with China and Russia
• Based on Chinese interests
• Acting mostly like an anti-West bloc with Iran’s inclusion

Way Forward

• Revitalize the connectivity projects, like opening the Ashgabat Agreement for stronger connections in Eurasia
• Improve relations with China and Pakistan through cultural and economic ties
• Deradicalization of youth in Central Asia adds to leveraging soft power
• Strengthen people-to-people connectivity through educational cooperation
• Maintain strategic autonomy

Conclusion

India should commit for regional coopeeration, mutual understanding and addressing shared challenges and enhance relations.