Iran and Belarus are currently observer states of the SCO. (Representative)
Benaulim, Goa:
Observer countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Iran and Belarus may soon become full members of the charter, an official said on Thursday, as the decision is still under consideration.
Earlier, India had also invited both the countries to participate in the SCO Defense Ministers’ meeting to be held in Delhi on April 27-28.
The meeting in the national capital, chaired by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, was attended by Belarus Defense Minister, Major General Viktor Khrinin and Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Gharai Ashtiani.
India is hosting the SCO this year, and Goa is set to welcome foreign ministers of all SCO member states at the venue where decisions regarding new SCO members will be taken.
“The most important task before the SCO foreign ministers will be to assess the status of decisions that will be approved at the SCO summit in New Delhi in July. The meeting will also provide an opportunity to discuss the state of multilateral cooperation in the SCO, regional Ministry’s secretary Dammu Ravi said in Goa, and the interest of the organization, the global issue of reform and modernization and the progress made on the inclusion of Iran and Belarus as new member states in the SCO.
He further said that India’s efforts to further deepen the bonds of friendship and cooperation in the SCO were evident through hosting of various socio-cultural events.
Currently, the SCO has Russia, India, China, Pakistan and four Central Asian countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as its members. If Iran and Belarus are considered by SCO member to take in as new members of SCO, then by next year SCO will have its 10 members.
The SCO has mainly focused its fight against regional security issues, regional terrorism, ethnic separatism and religious extremism. To date, the SCO’s priorities have also included regional development.
“The meeting will also provide an opportunity to discuss the state of multilateral cooperation in the SCO, regional and global issues of interest, reform and modernization of the organization,” said Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, speaking about the SCO charter in Goa.
Several socio-cultural events were organized by India for the first time in the framework of the SCO. To date, India has successfully hosted meetings of SCO ministers of finance, environment, sports, transport, defence, culture, energy, tourism, and ministers responsible for dealing with emergency situations.
Sources in the SCO Council said, “Terrorism is an important element in this summit… Security and terrorism is an emotive issue and it is a general process in the discussion but it is not the specific agenda. There are many other agendas in the summit. ” ANI.
The theme of India’s SCO chairmanship in 2023 is ‘Secure-SCO’. India attaches special importance to the SCO in promoting multilateralism, political, security, economic and people-to-people contacts in the region. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organization established in 2001.
The last meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. India assumed the rotating presidency of the SCO in 2022 at the Samarkand SCO summit.
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