India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar will go to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting to be held in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad on October 15-16. This important meeting is being held in Pakistan, in which issues like regional security, economic cooperation and combating terrorism are expected to be discussed. Apart from India, China, Russia, Pakistan, other countries of Central Asia are included in SCO. It works with the aim of promoting cooperation regarding regional stability and security.
How does which country get the presidency of SCO?
India had confirmed on August 30 that it had received an invitation from Pakistan for the upcoming SCO Council meeting to be held in Islamabad. The presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) rotates every year among the member states of the organization. This means that each member country takes turns presiding over the SCO for one year. This is a fixed process in which member countries get the opportunity to organize activities and meetings of the organization respectively.
The term of the presidency is usually one year, and it concludes with the convening of that year’s summit. The country that holds the presidency of the SCO hosts all major meetings, programs and events of the organization during the year and plays a leadership role in advancing the agenda of the SCO. The members of SCO include China, Russia, India, Pakistan and four countries of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan), and every year one of these countries holds the presidency of the SCO.
No indication of PM Modi’s involvement
Pakistan will also host a two-day in-person SCO Heads of Government meeting in October. However, there is no indication of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal involvement in this. The Islamabad summit meeting will be preceded by a ministerial meeting and several rounds of meetings of senior officials, which will focus on financial, economic, socio-cultural and humanitarian cooperation among SCO member states.
The SCO was founded in 2001 at a summit in Shanghai by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017. In July last year, Iran also became a permanent member of the SCO at the group’s virtual summit hosted by India.
What is the agenda?
In the SCO meeting, detailed discussions are expected to take place mainly on terrorism, radicalism, border security, economic cooperation and regional trade. Along with this, emphasis will be laid on increasing mutual cooperation and partnership between the member countries.
This meeting is being organized in Pakistan at a time when many diplomatic disputes are going on between India and Pakistan, especially on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. However, S. Jaishankar’s participation in this meeting shows that India wants to remain engaged in matters of regional security and cooperation.
Eyes on India’s role
India has been playing a major role in the SCO over the years. India has repeatedly made clear its strong stance on issues such as terrorism, drug trafficking, and regional security on this platform. Apart from this, India’s emphasis has also been on promoting regional trade and cooperation with developing countries through connectivity.
Impact on India-Pakistan relations?
It is also being seen from India’s participation in this meeting in Pakistan whether this will bring some softening in India-Pakistan relations, or it will remain only as a formality. There are no signs of talks between the two countries at present, but meeting on a platform like SCO can definitely create an opportunity for mutual dialogue. Apart from India, China, Russia, and other member countries will also participate in the SCO meeting, whose role is considered important for regional stability.
