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About SCO

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What is Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic and military organisation. Having begun as the Shanghai Five in 1996 by the leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, it was rechristened as the SCO in 2001. The SCO entered into force on 19 September 2003.
 
The aim of SCO is to establish cooperation between member nations on:
 
  • Security-related concerns
  • Resolving border issues
  • Military cooperation
  • Intelligence sharing
  • Countering terrorism
  • Countering American influence in Central Asia
 
Members of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
 
Apart from the founding members, Uzbekistan joined the group later as a permanent member. India and Pakistan are the newest inclusion to the Organisation and it added another 1.45 billion people in the SCO making the group cover around 40 per cent of the global population. Both these nations signed the memoranda for becoming a permanent member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in 2016.
 
The eight permanent members of the SCO are:
 
  • China
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Russia
  • Tajikistan
  • Uzbekistan
  • India
  • Pakistan
 
The Heads of State Council (HSC) is the supreme decision-making body in the SCO
 
The current Council of Heads of State consists of:
 
  • Ram Nath Kovind (India)
  • Vladimir Putin (Russia)
  • Xi Jinping (China)
  • Shavkat Mirziyoyev (Uzbekistan)
  • Arif Alvi (Pakistan)
  • Sooronbai Jeenbekov (Kyrgyzstan)
  • Emomali Rahmon (Tajikistan)
  • Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (Kazakhstan)
SCO summits
 
Members of the SCO meet once a year and adopt decisions and guidelines on all important matters of the organisation.
 
Why India's membership to SCO matters?
 
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is seen as an eastern counter-balance to NATO. With India being its member, it will allow the country to push effective action in combating terrorism and on issues related to security.
 
With the presence of India and China, the world's most populous countries, SCO is now the organisation that has the largest population coverage.
 

Latest Updates on SCO

India, as the current chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), is set to host a meeting of National Security Advisors (NSA) and top officials in New Delhi on Wednesday

Updated On: 29 Mar 2023 | 7:56 AM IST

Meenakashi Lekhi said it was time to go back to Buddhist thought, cooperate and work together on the basis of the principle of non-violence

Updated On: 16 Mar 2023 | 7:36 AM IST

S Jaishankar pitched for better connectivity in the SCO region, but at the same time underlined that such projects should respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states

Updated On: 01 Nov 2022 | 7:21 PM IST

Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has decided on joint measures by member countries to counter threats posed by terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan

Updated On: 14 Oct 2022 | 2:58 PM IST

Mehta and additional secretary (legal affairs) in the law ministry Anju Rathi Rana led the Indian delegation at the 20th meeting of Prosecutors General of SCO member states in Astana, Kazakhstan

Updated On: 23 Sep 2022 | 10:24 PM IST

The nation's diplomacy enters a critical phase

Updated On: 18 Sep 2022 | 9:28 PM IST

India is the only common member country to be a part of the SCO and the US-driven Indo Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF).

Updated On: 17 Sep 2022 | 3:39 PM IST

Russian prez says he understands India's position, concerns

Updated On: 16 Sep 2022 | 11:08 PM IST

Iran wants domestic resolution; India for international arbitration framework

Updated On: 13 Sep 2022 | 9:36 PM IST

According to Russian media, Xi will attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Uzbekistan where he will meet with Putin

Updated On: 07 Sep 2022 | 5:11 PM IST

Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif is likely to have a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping next month on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Uzbekistan.

Updated On: 17 Aug 2022 | 2:44 PM IST

Deputy Foreign Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) countries held consultations in Moscow where they highlighted the need for the formation of an inclusive government in Afghanistan.

Updated On: 22 Apr 2022 | 11:16 AM IST

New Delhi's ability to maximise its role in the post-war reconstruction may be hamstrung by its modest position in key multilateral institutions

Updated On: 09 Mar 2022 | 6:07 AM IST

SCO members reaffirm they will oppose practices that threaten global economy

Updated On: 18 Sep 2021 | 1:38 AM IST

The Covid-19 crisis is a clarion call to SCO member countries to leverage their economic strength to boost trade and investment in the region, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday

Updated On: 28 Oct 2020 | 6:39 PM IST

Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said the government of Pakistan has not been able to fulfil its obligations on implementation of the ICJ judgment in letter and spirit

Updated On: 17 Sep 2020 | 10:18 PM IST

Government sources said the Pakistani action was "blatant violation" of the SCO charter

Updated On: 15 Sep 2020 | 9:34 PM IST

The foreign ministers of Russia, India and China (RIC) on Thursday held trilateral talks on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Moscow

Updated On: 10 Sep 2020 | 9:06 PM IST

Terrorism poses a serious threat and drug trafficking and organised crimes are on the rise, Vladimir Putin has said as he expressed confidence in the SCO bloc's ability to respond promptly

Updated On: 10 Sep 2020 | 6:16 PM IST

On Saturday, Singh met his counterparts from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan and deliberated on ways to give greater thrust to defence cooperation between India and the Central Asian countries

Updated On: 05 Sep 2020 | 7:49 PM IST