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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

He also highlighted that the SCO embodies the collective voice and wishes of over 40 per cent of the global population anchored in the Shanghai spirit

Updated On: 16 Oct 2024 | 1:10 PM IST

Pakistan is hosting the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting on October 15 and 16 and in his capacity as the current Chair of the CHG

Updated On: 12 Oct 2024 | 11:27 PM IST

The last Indian external affairs minister to visit Pakistan was Sushma Swaraj. She had travelled to Islamabad in December 2015 to attend a conference on Afghanistan

Updated On: 04 Oct 2024 | 11:20 PM IST

CJI Chandrachud is in Tashkent to attend a gathering of chief justices from Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member countries

Updated On: 24 May 2024 | 12:44 PM IST

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said the "hydra-headed monster" of terrorism and extremism whether committed by individuals, groups or at state level

Updated On: 04 Jul 2023 | 5:00 PM IST

According to a PLA delegation at Shangri-La Dialogues, Beijing believed that India would not be a 'loyal partner' of the American Indo-Pacific Strategy because of its independent diplomatic policy

Updated On: 05 Jun 2023 | 4:36 PM IST

The MEA on Tuesday announced that India will host the annual summit of the SCO in the virtual format on July 4. While making the announcement, it did not cite any reason behind the decision

Updated On: 02 Jun 2023 | 7:41 PM IST

The SCO is an influential economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations

Updated On: 30 May 2023 | 10:43 PM IST

India also shared its plans to invest $3 billion to take mobile connectivity to villages in remote areas and $5 billion to bring broadband connectivity to all 250,000 Gram Panchayats

Updated On: 13 May 2023 | 4:03 PM IST

There is no confirmation yet on in-person participation of Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif in the SCO defence ministerial meeting scheduled for April 27 and 28

Updated On: 22 Apr 2023 | 11:06 PM IST

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