SCO – ORGANIZATION
News: Pakistan Prime Minister to be invited for SCO summit
What's in the news?
● India has invited Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto, among other members, to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Ministers meeting to be held tentatively in Goa in early May this year.
● While the invitations for the SCO summit are considered a routine matter as India is chairing the SCO grouping this year, the events gain significance as they will bring the Pakistani leadership to India after a decade.
What is SCO?
● The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental international organization.
● Before the creation of SCO in 2001, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan were members of the Shanghai Five.
● It was after the accession of Uzbekistan to the organization in 2001, the Shanghai Five was renamed the SCO.
● India and Pakistan became members in 2017.
● Also on 17th September, 2021, it was announced that Iran would become a full member of the SCO.
● SCO full members: India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
● Three countries - Afghanistan, Belarus and Mongolia - have an observer status with the SCO.
● Six countries - Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey and Sri Lanka have a dialogue partner status.
● The Heads of State Council (HSC) is the highest decision-making body in the SCO.
● The Heads of Government Council (HGC) meets once per year to discuss a strategy for multilateral cooperation and priority directions within the Organization’s framework, to solve important and pressing cooperation issues in economic and other areas, as well as to adopt the Organization’s annual budget.
● The Council of National Coordinators of SCO Member States (CNC) is in charge of coordinating interaction within the SCO framework.
RATS:
● The Organization has two permanent bodies - the Secretariat in Beijing (China) and the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) in Tashkent.
● It was established to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism.
● The Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is the permanent body of the SCO RATS based in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan.
● Russian and Chinese are the official working languages of the SCO.
Important objectives of the SCO:
● Strengthening mutual confidence and good-neighbourly relations among the member countries.
● Promoting effective cooperation in politics, trade and economy, science and technology, culture as well as education, energy, transportation, tourism, environmental protection and other fields.
● Making joint efforts to maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region, moving towards the establishment of a new, democratic, just and rational political and economic international order.
● SCO pursues its internal policy based on the principles of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equal rights, consultations, respect for the diversity of cultures and aspiration towards common development.
● SCO pursues its external policy is conducted in accordance with the principles of non-alignment, non-targeting anyone and openness.
Importance of SCO to India:
1. Central Asia relationship:
● SCO allows India to deepen its strategic reach in Central Asia.
● India already has substantial soft power potential (Buddhist linkages, Bollywood movies etc.) in Central Asia, which it can exploit through SCO.
● SCO will help India fulfil its aspiration of playing an active role in its extended neighbourhood as well as checking the ever-growing influence of China in Eurasia marking it a geo-strategic significance.
2. Energy security:
● India’s membership of SCO can boost energy security by providing access to mineral and energy resources of the Central Asian countries.
● SCO countries along with Iran, Azerbaijan & Turkmenistan hold some of the largest oil (~25%) and natural gas reserves (~50%) of the world.
● Kazakhstan is the largest producer of Uranium. Uzbekistan & Kyrgyzstan are important regional producers of Gold
● SCO membership could help advance talks on construction of stalled pipelines like TAPI & IPI.
3. Market for export:
● The membership, with its emphasis in trade relations, provides an inroad for the Indian investors to explore the untapped market potential in the Central Asian region.
● For example, FICCI hosted the SCO Business Conclave.
4. Forum for bilateral talks:
● SCO can provide a platform to discuss bilateral issues with Pakistan and China.
● SCO provides a platform for strengthening Indo-China relations and resolving their existing disputes. Russia had played a role in reducing tensions between them after Galwan Valley clashes.
● Cooperation with Pakistan - SCO can be seen as an opportunity for the India and Pakistan to cooperate on issues of mutual interest without bringing in their bilateral disputes.
5. Combat terrorism:
● SCO can play a pivotal role in combating terrorism, extremism and radicalization through its RATS structure.
● The new initiative of unification of all terrorist organization and terrorist will be very useful for India.
● For its terrorism combat exercise. For example, the Dushanbe declaration, aims towards regional stability.
6. Connectivity to Eurasia:
● India’s presence in the SCO will help in India’s aim to link itself to the larger Eurasian region, and to Europe via an INSTC. Thus, boosting connectivity in the region.
● Strong engagement with SCO is a great example of India's 'Multiple Engagement' foreign policy.
● Earlier it was an organization of a particular region but now the addition of Iran has added importance to this organization.
7. Drug trafficking:
● Most of the members are located in between two drug trafficking regions, the Golden Triangle and the Golden Crescent; this forum will be useful to combat drug trafficking in the region.
8. Economic:
● With SCO countries contributing almost 42% of the world population and 20% of the GDP, the proposed FTA with Eurasian Economic Union can provide India with a wider market base for its IT, telecommunications, banking, finance, and pharmaceutical industries.
9. People-to-people Connectivity:
● With cultural connection and shared history, it also has potential to boost the tourism sector of the country (presently SCO countries constituted only 6% of India’s total tourists).
Problems of India with SCO members:
1. Dominance of China:
● SCO is a China dominated organization. Barring India, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been endorsed by all the members.
● Chinese army's transgression in the northern border of India in Ladakh region.
● China's one China policy and its recent military exercises in Taiwan strait is against QUAD where India is a member.
● Pakistan and China's Gwadar port is a main threat to India.
● China's refusal of India's resolution to add Masjid Hussain in the world terrorist list.
2. Controlling Pakistan Sponsored terrorism:
● China has always condoned Pakistan’s link with terrorist activities in India. SCO may not prove very effective in controlling Pakistan sponsored terrorism.
● India blames Pakistan for cross-border terrorism into India, as well as in providing shelter and safe haven to terror groups that have attacked Afghanistan, including the Taliban itself.
3. Trust deficit:
● Growing closeness of Russia and China adds to the difficulties that India faces due to the China-Pakistan axis in the SCO.
● Other member countries are also well disposed towards Pakistan. This puts India at the risk of being isolated in the organization.
4. Lack of connectivity with Central Asia and beyond:
● A major impediment in connectivity with Central Asia and Eurasia remains the strategic denial of direct land connectivity between India and Afghanistan and beyond by Pakistan.
5. Low Economic Footprint:
● India’s bilateral trade with Central Asia stands at about $2 billion against over $50 billion of China’s.
6. Dominant Players:
● India’s ability to assert itself would be limited and it may have to play second fiddle since China and Russia are co-founders of SCO and its dominant powers.
7. Taliban issue:
● India is not on the same page as most SCO countries when it comes to dealing with the Taliban- shut down its embassy, and only engaging Taliban to ensure no terrorism spillover.
8. Interests of India:
● To strengthen its position within the organization, India may also have to either dilute its growing partnership with the West or engage in a delicate balancing act – as SCO has traditionally adopted an anti-Western posture.
● The two important countries in the SCO Russia and China are having close relations with Myanmar where the military took over the administration from the elected government but QUAD had condemned the coup.
India's membership with both QUAD and SCO:
● It is a great example of India 'Multiple Engagement' as India is a member of I2U2 and QUAD and global South countries BRICS and SCO.
● It is necessary for India to be in multiple engagements with global North and global South for its development and energy security.
● India has military and technical cooperation with global and its energy security mostly fulfilled by the global South.
● SCO led by Russia-China is seen as a counter-NATO organization, while the Quad includes the US and its allies as a coalition to counter China, and by extension Russia.
● SCO deals with India’s Continental neighbourhood, including Afghanistan while the Quad deals with India’s Maritime neighbourhood.
● Barring India, SCO countries have largely taken a stand accepting the new Taliban government in Afghanistan, are talking to the Taliban, and want sanctions against them reduced. Quad countries other than the US have stayed more distant from the new regime in Kabul, and have not opened dialogues with the Taliban.
● At the SCO, India takes part in meetings, and even military exercises with countries including China and Pakistan, while at the Quad, India has been part of naval exercises and statements decrying regional hegemony and cross-border terrorism aimed at China and Pakistan.
● While India is keen on building alternate supply chains especially on technologies with partners keen to end dependence on China, it is not part of the Osaka track, that includes other Quad countries, when it comes to cross border data flows.
● Russia and China are seeing QUAD as an extension of NATO in which India is a member.
WAY FORWARD:
1. Improving Mutual Trust - consistent efforts should be made by SCO to improve mutual trust among the member states. India’s concerns over violations of ‘sovereignty and territorial integrity’ must be adequately addressed by China.
2. Revitalize connectivity projects - The opening of Chabahar port and entry into the Ashgabat agreement should be utilized for a stronger presence in Eurasia besides a clear focus on operationalizing INSTC.
3. Maintain an independent voice - India-Russia diplomatic relations and India’s cultural and historical connect with the Asian Rpepublics could be leveraged for promoting India’s interests in the SCO.
4. Constructively engage Pakistan - Recently Russia, at the request of India, has decided not to enter into an arms relationship with Pakistan. India should mobilize opinion in the SCO to ensure its connectivity projects to extended neighbours are unblocked by Pakistan.
5. Play a constructive role - India could play a role in de-radicalisation of youths in Central Asia.
6. India should also leverage its soft power to enhance its spheres of engagements in the field of culture, cuisine, education etc. This will ensure India does not get isolated in the organization.
7. There should be consensus over issues like terrorism and extremism and RATS-SCO should be tasked to identify and assess the presence of major terrorist groups throughout the SCO region.
India’s membership of SCO can help in achieving regional integration, promote connectivity and stability across borders. However, the ability of SCO to grow into a successful regional forum depends on its ability to overcome bilateral differences between its members and their respective geopolitical calculations.