Shanghai Co-operation Organization (SCO) : Viable For Asia
The SCO summit just held in Ufa, Russia, marked a major step forward in the development of this regional forum. For the first time in its 15-year history the decision was made to increase the number of members. The process of the accession of India and Pakistan was formally launched. The enrolment procedure of India has been launched; Iran is also planning to join as a result SCO will become more powerful. The participation of Iran in the SCO in the near future too will broaden the range of observers and dialogue partners in the institution and is expected to transform the organization from a narrow regional club into a powerful forum of co-operation on questions of security and economy in the whole area spanning East Europe and South East Asia, thereby doubtless ensuring the stability of this entire landmass. The growing value of the SCO came out in sharp relief in the member-states’ decision, at the start of the summit in Ufa, Russia, to induct India and Pakistan as the Organizational full members. The SCO membership could give India more leeway in pursuing its energy interests. India has invested hugely in developing the Iranian Chabahar Port that could provide access to Central Asian Countries. As far as India is concerned, effective participation in the SCO will noticeably reinforce the weight of New Delhi in both the regional and international spheres and simultaneously have a positive effect on resolving its most pressing domestic and foreign policy problems. However, the induction of India into the SCO would not be of much help in terms of utilizing the country’s full potential in case the Indian side seeks to resolve within the SCO framework its individual problems without taking into consideration the interests of other members. For example, using the SCO forum as a platform to play the anti-Pakistan card and convince the rest of the member states to exert influence on Islamabad in fovour of New Delhi would be counterproductive.