SCO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

In News

• Recently the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)’s Foreign Ministers’ meeting was concluded at Tashkent in Uzbekistan.

Highlights of the event

• Expansion of SCO: 
  • India welcomed the expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to include Iran.
  • 2021 SCO summit in Dushanbe agreed for Iran to join. 
• Energy and food crisis:
  • India also raised the problems of the energy crisis and food crisis arising from the “Ukraine conflict” which must be “urgently addressed”.
  • The response required includes resilient and diversified supply chains as well as reformed multilateralism and zero tolerance towards terrorism.
• Assistance to Afghanistan:
  • India highlighted its assistance to Afghanistan at the meeting.
  • India’s humanitarian support included wheat, medicines, vaccines and clothing.
• Connectivity:
  • India pushed for Chabahar port to be a conduit for trade to central Asia.
  • Pakistan’s Foreign Minister promoted the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor for trans-regional trade.

Significance

• Iran’s membership:
  • As a country that has been long sanctioned and isolated by the US-led West, Iran, by joining the SCO that accounts for 40 percent of the world’s population and 28 percent of global GDP, could expect a breakthrough in its geopolitical and economic status quo.
  • Iran has also approached the SCO with a proposal to create a new single currency for carrying out trade among SCO members, in a push to counter the increasing weaponization of the US dollar-dominated global financial system.
• Rising influence of SCO & countering west:
  • 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
• Chabahar Port:
  • With the increasing presence of China in Iran, India has been concerned about the strategic stakes of the Chabahar port project.
  • The access to the Chabahar port may prove strategically important for India.
  • Chinese closer ties with oil producers can bring governance and energy security issues for India.
• China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC):
  • The CPEC is a collection of infrastructure projects that have been under construction throughout Pakistan beginning 2013. 
  • The CPEC is part of China’s larger Belt and Road Initiative.
  • India has protested the project from its inception since it passes through large chunks of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Significance of SCO for India

• India’s upcoming Presidency:
  • India will take over the SCO Presidency in 2023.
  • India will also host the upcoming SCO Summit in 2023, which will be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. 
• Varanasi – Cultural and Tourism Capital of SCO:
  • The holy city of Varanasi, showcasing India’s culture and traditions over the ages, will be declared the first “Cultural and Tourism Capital” of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation for 2022-23.
  • The new initiative will come into force after the Samarkand summit.
  • It is a new initiative by the eight-member organisation to promote people-to-people contacts and tourism among the member states.
    • The title of ‘Cultural and Tourism Capital’ will be rotated among the member states.
• Security:
  • RATS can help India to improve its counterterrorism abilities by working toward intelligence sharing, law enforcement and developing best practices and technologies.
  • Through the SCO, India can also work on anti-drug trafficking and small arms proliferation.
• Regional Integration:
  • SCO can help in achieving regional integration and promote connectivity and stability across borders.
  • Further, it also helps India to have a multilateral talk with friends like Russia and adversaries like China and Pakistan.
• Geopolitical Advantage:
  • Central Asia is a part of India’s Extended Neighbourhood.
  • And SCO provides India with an opportunity to pursue the “Connect Central Asian Policy”.
  • It will also help India to check on the ever-growing influence of China in Eurasia.

Source: TH