Source: TheEconomicTimes

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Context: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in Kazakhstan for the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and met his Kazakh counterpart Murat Nurtleu in Astana.

Details

Establishment

• The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a permanent intergovernmental international organization established on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai (PRC) by  Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
• Its predecessor was the mechanism of the Shanghai Five which was established in 1996 by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan.
• Headquarter: Beijing,China

Members

9 Member States 

 India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China,  Kyrgyzstan Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.

• India and Pakistan joining on 9 June 2017.
• Iran officially became a member in 2023.

3 Observer states  

• Afghanistan, Belarus, Mongolia.
• There are 14  Dialogue Partners

Decision  Making body

Council of Heads of States (CHS)

• The supreme decision-making body of the SCO is the Council of Heads of States (CHS).
• It meets once a year and decide upon all the important issues of the Organization.

Council of Heads of Government (CHG)

• The Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) (CHG) meets once a year to discuss the strategy of multilateral cooperation and priority areas within the Organization, determine fundamental and topical issues in economic and other spheres, and approve the budget of the SCO.

Other meets: Meetings of the CHS and the CHG, there are also mechanisms for meetings on foreign affairs, national defense, security, economy and trade, culture,health etc.

2 standing bodies

• The Secretariat in Beijing and the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) in
• Appointment: The SCO Secretary General and the Director of the RATS Executive Committee are appointed by the CHS for a three-year term.
• Official Language: Russian and Chinese.

The goals of the SCO are:

• to strengthen mutual trust, friendship and good-neighborliness between the Member States.
• to encourage the effective cooperation between the Member States in such spheres as politics, trade, economy, science and technology, culture, education, energy, transport, tourism, environmental protection, etc.
• to jointly ensure and maintain peace, security and stability in the region.
• to promote a new democratic, fair and rational international political and economic international order.

Upcomming meeting

New agendas to be discussed at the Atana summit

• The Summit will reflect upon ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
• The SCO has a pro-Russia stance on the Russia-Ukraine war, and therefore, it might reiterate its call for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
• Kazakhstan has proposed an SCO Initiative On World Unity for Just Peace and Harmony during the Astana summit.
• Belarus is expected to become a member of the SCO at the Astana summit. In 2022, at the Samarkand SCO Summit, the process of raising the status of the Belarus within the Organization to the level of a member state has begun
• Kazakhstan is a vital player in China’s BRI, so China attaches special importance to this Summit.
• The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), also known as the Middle Corridor, will also be discussed in bilateral meetings between China and Kazakhstan.  

Importance of SCO for India

Economic Cooperation:

• The SCO provides a platform for India to enhance economic cooperation with Central Asian countries, which have vast reserves of natural resources.
• India is seeking to increase itstrade and investment ties with the SCO countries to diversify its economic partnerships.

Energy Security:

• The SCO provides a forumfor India to engage with the energy-rich countries of Central Asia.
• The Samarkand Declaration centralizes connectivity which is a priority for India, as well asenergy and food security.

Cultural:

• SCO member countries have decided to designate one city (from SCO member countries) as tourism and cultural capital every yearunder a rotating initiative.
• “Kashi” (Varanasi)has been designated as the first cultural capital of the SCO under this initiative.

Counterterrorism:

• The SCO has a strong focuson counterterrorism cooperation.
• RATS is responsible for coordinating efforts among member countries to combat terrorism, separatism, and extremism.

Conclusion

India's proactive engagement within the SCO is imperative for ensuring regional stability, countering common security threats, and leveraging economic and connectivity opportunities. The upcoming SCO summit presents a crucial platform for India to reaffirm its commitment to the organisation's goals of enhancing cooperation, addressing security challenges, and promoting connectivity initiatives.

Sources:

SCO,Financial Express,TheHindu

PRACTICE QUESTION Q. Which of the following is not a founding member of Sanghai Coopration Organisation ? A. India B. China C. Kyrgyzstan  D. Russia Answer A