SCO Defence Ministers’ Meet

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in news?
• What is Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)?
• Member Countries of SCO:
• Organisational Structure of SCO:
• Key highlights of the speech delivered by Indian Defence Minister at the SCO Defence Ministers’ Meet

 

Why in news?

• SCO defence ministers' meet was hosted by India in its capacity as chair of the grouping.
• It was attended by the defence ministers of six other members, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as two observer countries Belarus and Iran in person.
  • Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who had been invited to SCO meeting, did not turn up.
  • Instead, Malik Ahmed Khan, special advisor to the Pakistan Prime Minister on defence, attended it through video conference.
• At the end of the deliberations, all the SCO member countries signed a protocol, expressing their collective will to make the region secure, peaceful and prosperous.

 

What is Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)?

• The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation, established in 2001.
• It is built on the foundation laid by the Shanghai Five grouping of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
• The five countries had come together to work on regional security, reduction of border troops, and terrorism in the post-Soviet era in 1996.
• In 2001, the “Shanghai Five” inducted Uzbekistan into the group and named it the SCO, outlining its principles in a charter that promoted what was called the “Shanghai spirit” of cooperation.

 

Member Countries of SCO:

• 8 member states: China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan.
  • India and Pakistan became full members at the Heads of State Council meet in Astana in 2017.
  • Iran will be the newest member (9^th) of the SCO, when it joins the forum in 2023 under the chairmanship of India.
• 4 Observer members: Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, Mongolia
  • In 2021, the procedure of granting Iran the status of Member State was started at the SCO Summit in Dushanbe.
  • In 2022, a similar procedure was launched for Belarus at the SCO Summit in Samarkand
• 9 Dialogue Partners —Azerbaijan, Armenia, Egypt, Cambodia, Qatar, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Sri Lanka.
  • In 2022, the procedure for granting the status of Dialogue Partners to Bahrain, Kuwait, Maldives, Myanmar and the United Arab Emirates was initiated at the SCO Summit in Samarkand.

 

Organisational Structure of SCO:

• The Heads of State Council (HSC) is the supreme decision-making body in the SCO, it meets once a year.
• The Council of Heads of Government is the second-highest council in the organisation.
• The Council of Foreign Ministers hold regular meetings, where they discuss the current international situation.
• Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), based in Tashkent, is established to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism.
• Official working languages: Chinese, Russian
• SCO Secretariat: Beijing, China

 

Key highlights of the speech delivered by Indian Defence Minister at the SCO Defence Ministers’ Meet

• Work towards eliminating terrorism in all forms
  • Indian Defence Minister told member states of the SCO to collectively work towards eliminating terrorism in all forms and fix accountability on those aiding or funding such activities.
  • He said that any kind of terrorist act or support to it in any form is a major crime against humanity.
  • The Defence Minister’s remarks on dealing with terror come days after 5 Army soldiers were killed in a terror attack in Poonch near the LoC.
• Highlighted the issue of radicalisation of youth
  • Radicalisation of youth is a cause for concern not only from the security point of view, but is also a major obstacle in the path of socio-economic progress of society.
• Highlighted the need of ensuring territorial integrity
  • India sees a robust framework of regional cooperation which mutually respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all member states by taking care of their legitimate interests.
• Highlighted issues like food security, climate change and energy security
  • Indian minister urged member countries to ensure food security under an integrated plan which will establish SCO as a role model for the whole world.
  • To deal with the issue of climate change, he called for working on a common strategy, giving priority to mitigation and adaptation.
  • He said that the energy security should be a part of the common strategy.
• Highlighted the concept of ‘SECURE
  • The defence minister also highlighted the concept of ‘SECURE’ floated by PM Modi during the SCO summit in China in 2018.
    • S stands for security of citizens,
    • E for economic development for all,
    • C for connecting the region,
    • U for uniting the people,
    • R for respect for sovereignty and Integrity and
    • E stands for environmental protection.

 

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Q1) What is Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)?

SCO is an intergovernmental organization that was founded in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Its goals include promoting economic cooperation and regional security, as well as combatting terrorism, separatism, and extremism.

 

Q2) What is Shanghai spirit” of cooperation?

The "Shanghai Spirit" is a term used to describe the cooperative framework that was established among the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) - China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The Shanghai Spirit is based on the principles of mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for cultural diversity, and pursuit of common development. It emphasizes the importance of non-interference in the internal affairs of member states, and the need to resolve disputes through peaceful means.

 

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Source: Pak listening, Rajnath to SCO: End terror, fix accountability | Times of India | The Print