SCO SUMMIT

Subject: International Events

Context: India will host the Heads of Government Council meeting of the eight-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) , but Prime Minister Narendra will not attend the meeting, which will be chaired by Vice-President instead.

Concept:

• It will be the first time that a summit-level meeting will be held under India’s chairmanship, since it gained full membership of the organisation in 2017.
• This summit is held annually at the level of Prime Ministers of SCO and deals primarily with the trade and economic agenda of the organisation.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

• SCO is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation.
• It’s a Eurasian political, economic and military organisation aiming to maintain peace, security and stability in the region.
• The SCO Charter was signed in 2002, and entered into force in 2003.
• The SCO’s official languages are Russian and Chinese. It has two Permanent Bodies,
• SCO Secretariat in Beijing, and
• Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) in Tashkent.
• The Chairmanship of SCO is by rotation for a year by Member States.

Genesis:

• Prior to the creation of SCO in 2001, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan were members of the Shanghai Five.
• Shanghai Five (1996) emerged from a series of border demarcation and demilitarization talks which the four former Soviet republics held with China to ensure stability along the borders.
• Following the accession of Uzbekistan to the organisation in 2001, the Shanghai Five was renamed the SCO.
• India and Pakistan became members in 2017.