PM Modi may attend SCO summit that might be held in June 2018
The Shanghai Cooperation
Organization (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic and security organisation whose formation was announced on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai, China, by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. On June 9, 2017, India and Pakistan joined SCO as full members at a summit in Astana, Kazakhstan. The Declaration of China and Russia on May 31, 2017 was the final milestone in India’s membership. After India’s full membership, External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj attended in the 16th meeting of the SCO in the year 2017. The highlights of her speech included the call to fight terrorism, improve connectivity and energy. India through RATS can enhance its anti-terrorism experience by working for the exchange of information, law enforcement, best practices and technology development, legal assistance, extradition rules and capacity building, as well as other measures. In the area of security, the SCO formed the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) in 2005 in Tashkent. RATS, which deals with the exchange of information and joint counter-terrorism measures between the Member States. The SCO has successfully nullified 600 would-be attacks and extradited more than 500 terrorist through the RATS mechanism. India’s full membership in the SCO will allow it to play a crucial role in RATS. Through the SCO, India can also work on anti-drug trafficking, which is a major problem for Afghanistan. The diplomatic relations between India and Russia will play an important role in promoting the interests of India in the SCO. The Indian government should see the difference between the hollow polemic of “strategic” cooperation with Washington and the capacity for practical impact of the SCO’s position on the region. India’s envoy to China, Gautam Bambawale, met with SecretaryGeneral of SCO Rashid Alimov and discussed the agenda and preparation for the annual summit in China. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the summit, which is expected to take place in June 2018. India’s benefits to the SCO will be limited due to the role of China and Pakistan in the organization. Positive results will depend on how Indian diplomacy deals with its rivals. On the other hand, diplomatic relations between India and Russia will play an important role in promoting India’s interests in the SCO, and India’s cordial relations with the Central Asian countries will determine the fate of India’s interests. As Iran has observer status in the SCO, it will serve as a platform to promote trade through the Iranian ports of Bandar Abbas and Chabahar. These ports are India’s gateway to Central Asia through the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). SCO will provide a platform for the security grouping of India and Pakistan, especially in the fight against terrorism. Provide a valuable interface to deal with Afghanistan’s security interests, especially with its members, including India, for the withdrawal of international troops. SCO will also serve as a guarantor for projects such as India’s Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) and Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipelines for safety reasons. As well as the Deepwater Pipeline Project from Middle East to India. In this politically polarized world, the SCO will play an important role in balancing India’s bias on security issues with the US and its allies. So it can help to balance India’s relations with the major powers around the world. India’s membership in the SCO offers her a range of choices in the geoeconomics and geostrategic sphere in the Central Asian Region (CAR). The CAR delivers around 10 percent of oil and energy to the world. Since India is one of the most energy-hungry nations, participation in the SCO offers the opportunity to meet its energy needs through regional diplomacy. India’s upcoming energy projects such as the TAPI pipeline (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India), IPI (Iran-Pakistan-India) pipeline and CASA (Central AsiaSouth Asia) 1000 power transmission projects - all blocked, may be due in part to the recalcitrant Pakistani approach to getting a much needed boost from the SCO.