Preparing for the SCO Meeting- India’s Priorities

At the tourism ministers' meeting in Varanasi on March 14th, India proposed an action plan to designate 2023 as the year of tourist development for the SCO Summit. At the end of the conference, a common action plan for executing the Member States' agreement on tourist cooperation was finalised and agreed upon. It includes marketing the SCO tourist brand, promoting member countries' cultural assets, exchanging information and digital technologies in tourism, and developing mutual collaboration in medical and health tourism. Kashi (Varanasi) has been designated as the SCO's first tourism and cultural capital.

ABOUT SCO

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an international organisation, created on June 15th, 2001, in Shanghai. The SCO now has eight Member States including China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. It also includes four Observer States such as Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia, and six Dialogue Partners namely, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey. The SCO's principal aims have been to develop mutual trust and good neighbourly relations among member nations, as well as to promote effective cooperation in politics, commerce and economics, science and technology, culture, education, energy, transportation, tourism, environmental protection, and so on. It also focuses on coordinating efforts to preserve and secure regional peace, security, and stability, intending to establish a new, democratic, fair, and rational political and economic world order. The importance of SCO can be gauged by the way it encompasses more than 60% of the Eurasian continent, 40% of the global population, and 30% of global income. Furthermore, with Iran being the organisation's newest member, it will attend meetings as a full member for the first time this year under the Indian leadership. Taking this into consideration, the SCO's significance grows as additional nations from West Asia indicate interest in joining the organisation as discussion partners. 

INDIA & SCO

Since its admittance to the SCO, India has relentlessly advocated for increased coordination on regional security, defence, counterterrorism, the illicit drug trade, and other concerns. The SCO is a valuable platform for India to interact with its regional counterparts on various regional, security, and political problems regularly. The SCO also provides India with the opportunity to launch global and regional counter-terrorism initiatives, as well as regional efforts to combat the illicit drug trade, which India's adversaries especially Pakistan has been using to do societal harm and target its youth.

Since gaining full membership, India has made significant efforts to promote peace, prosperity, and stability throughout the Eurasian region and among the SCO members in particular. Being a vocal proponent of regional and trans-regional connectivity, New Delhi has been utilizing the SCO to pressure Pakistan to adjust its stance and strategy on connecting Central Asia and South Asia. In the case of India, the SCO may be used to foster better unity among member nations to confront mutual issues and geo-strategic concerns. Thus far, Russia and China appear to be in control of the SCO. However, with its expanding regional and global economic heft and intellectual capital, India must consider investing diplomatic capital in advancing the SCO's agenda and progressive programme.

Furthermore, India may leverage its long-standing relationships with Iran, Russia, and the Central African Republics to challenge and neutralise the China-Pakistan axis, which is a threat to Indian security and national interests. India has been using the SCO forum to put its interests and agenda forward against these manances. India and the Eurasian area have a long history of cultural exchange. Furthermore, its growing economic wealth and young demography can help it advance within the grouping. For its part, India has adopted a 'constructivist' strategy that may be used to turn the SCO into a platform of agreements rather than conflicts.

INDIA'S STRATEGIC INTERESTS THROUGH SCO

India's continuous interest in its immediate neighbourhood takes a multifaceted strategy, which the government aims to pursue in a way that benefits all parties concerned. For more than a decade, New Delhi has been a loud advocate for improved connectivity between the Central Asian Republics and the greater Eurasian area. The most significant impediment to deeper connections between India and the CARS (Central-Asian Republics) has been the lack of connectivity, which the two sides have been working to address for many years now. Other government factors, notably Afghanistan's political instability and Pakistan's unwillingness to provide India access, have obstructed India's efforts to establish a connection to Central Asia. India's eagerness to expand its reach into the energy-rich geo-strategic region of Central Asia has resulted in a slew of initiatives aimed at improving connectivity. One such example is the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). This deal was inked between India, Russia, and Iran for the Corridor, spanning 7,200 km, that allows India to extend its reach as far as St. Petersburg via sea, rail, and road networks, reducing transit time by 40% and freight cost by 30%. Another project in India's sights has been the Chabahar port, which would include a trilateral deal between India, Iran, and Uzbekistan. This Port enables New Delhi to enter the Central Asian market, though the project has not been proactively dealt with. Pakistan has also prevented the very useful Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline from passing through its borders, claiming security concerns. Thus, India’s interest to form strong communications with CARS has not been very successful.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization has established itself as an important forum for India to advocate for its interests in the prosperous Central Asian area. The Prime Minister Modi had urged member nations to create "reliable, robust, and diverse supply chains" in the region during the 2022 SCO's Council of Heads of State session. India is now looking forward to working with member states on counterterrorism and bringing stability to Afghanistan, as well as dealing with post-pandemic ramifications and economic recovery for member nations while managing supply-chain breakdown and food and energy crises. India's goals include capacity-building in the Central Asian area, combating extremism, radicalisation, and counterterrorism, and moving towards positive development through improved connectivity and energy security.

PAKISTAN IN SCO SUMMIT

As per the usual convention, this year, India has invited Pakistan and China to multiple ministerial grouping sessions those are to take place in different cities of India. These ministrial sessions include the SCO Defence Ministers meeting, which will be on April 27th in Delhi and the National Security Advisors meeting that is on March 29th. The invitation to the conference of home ministers has been extended, while India is also extending the invitation to other crucial meetings. Islamabad's delegation at an SCO conference held by a New Delhi-based think tank planned to unveil a map that included India's Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) as part of Pakistan's territory. The Indian delegation complained and urged their Pakistani colleagues to replace the map with the actual one. Instead of modifying the map, Pakistan withdrew from the SCO summit hosted by India. The bilateral relations between the two countries have always been an issue and there seems to be no mediation. Though, Pakistan was effectively represented at the SCO chief justice meeting held by Delhi by Justice Munib Akhtar of the Supreme Court of Pakistan since Pakistan Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial did not attend.

In Pakistan, there appear to be two schools of thought over the invitation, with some experts in favour of accepting and others opposing the same. The overriding rationale requires Pakistan to attend the SCO conference, keeping bilateral concerns separate from multilateral ones. Going to this meeting might provide prospects for Islamabad especially at a juncture where Pakistan is dealing with political instability, economic crisis and uncertainty about the upcoming elections. Islamabad can use this invitation to at least manage the optics and test the waters for broader gains. Because of the tense nature of the relationship, Pakistan's mere reaction to India's offer will certainly have consequences. However, Pakistan and India must try not to undermine the platform and significance of the SCO, or else it will become a paralysis like SAARC. Pakistan's decision to attend or not attend the SCO summit in India would thus convey signals on several levels to internal and global audiences.

CHALLENGES FOR INDIA

The SCO has been anti-Western since its founding in 2001. It was established to oppose the influence of the United States and western countries in Central Asia and Eurasia. With its increasing proximity to Western nations, India would find it difficult to develop meaningful interaction with this grouping. Conflicts with China and Pakistan also make manoeuvring inside the SCO harder for India. China's dominance in the organisation provides little room for India within the SCO. China's hostile stance, as well as border conflicts with India, complicate India's position. The failure of SAARC should serve as a model for India to follow in the case of the SCO. Despite over four decades of existence, the SAARC has failed to contribute to South Asian regional integration. The India-Pakistan issue has always overshadowed the SAARC's objective and hindered it from reaching its full potential. In terms of India's participation in the organisation, the SCO, which includes China and Pakistan, is expected to follow the same route. Furthermore, with significant connections with the United States and other Western countries, India's position in the SCO may be irrelevant. At the global level, India, the United States, Japan, and Australia have actively participated in strengthening the Quad. This agreement is intended to offset China's aggressiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.

WAY FORWARD

India has been working towards strengthening regional security by collaborating with other members on counterterrorism, counter-narcotics, and cyber-security issues. India can also use the platform to address its security concerns related to cross-border terrorism and extremism. India should explore opportunities to enhance economic cooperation with other SCO members by promoting trade, investment, and joint ventures. India can also benefit from the SCO's Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), which provides a platform for sharing information on terrorist financing and money laundering. India has been working to deepen cultural and tourism ties with other SCO members by promoting people-to-people exchanges, cultural events, and academic cooperation. This can help to build stronger relationships and enhance understanding among member states. The SCO will also offer India a venue for constructively engaging with China and Pakistan in a regional context, as well as projecting India's security interests across the unstable regional expanse, including West Asia.

The landscape is wide open for India to effect good change within the SCO community through long-term cooperation. With India holding both the G20 Presidency and the Chairmanship of the SCO at the same time, New Delhi has a wonderful chance to make its imprint on the world arena and force key international powers to take serious note of her fast-increasing position.

REFERENCES

1.         Chaudhury, D. R. (n.d.). India at the Helm: Future Directions for the SCO, from https://russiancouncil.ru/en/analytics-and-comments/columns/asian-kaleidoscope/india-at-the-helm-future-directions-for-the-sco/

2.       Chaudhury, D. R. (2023, January 23). Counterterrorism, trade, inclusive connectivity top India’s SCO agenda. The Economic Times. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/counterterrorism-trade-inclusive-connectivity-top-indias-sco-agenda/articleshow/97233292.cms

3.        Fresh out of key G20 meetings, India to host first SCO ministerial next week. (n.d.). WION, from https://www.wionews.com/india-news/fresh-out-of-key-g20-meetings-india-to-host-first-sco-ministerial-next-week-569312

4.       India moots action plan to mark 2023 as year of tourism development at SCO meet. (2023, March 18). The Indian Express. https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-moots-action-plan-to-mark-2023-as-year-of-tourism-development-at-sco-meet-8504136/

5.       India to host Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Tourism Ministers’ Meeting (TMM) on 17th -18th March 2023 in Kashi. (n.d.), from https://pib.gov.in/pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1906477

6.       India’s Role in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. (n.d.), from https://usiofindia.org/publication/usi-journal/indias-role-in-the-shanghai-cooperation-organisation/

7.       Keeping up with protocol, India invites Pakistan to SCO defence and NSA meetings. (n.d.). WION, from https://www.wionews.com/india-news/keeping-up-with-protocol-india-invites-pakistan-to-sco-defence-and-nsa-meetings-572287

8.       Pakistan drops out of SCO meet after India red-flags its inaccurate map. (2023, March 22). Deccan Herald. https://www.deccanherald.com/national/pakistan-drops-out-of-sco-meet-after-india-red-flags-its-inaccurate-map-1202442.html

9.       Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. (n.d.), from http://eng.sectsco.org/

10.    Should Pakistan Attend the SCO Summit in India? (n.d.), from https://thediplomat.com/2023/02/should-pakistan-attend-the-sco-summit-in-india/

11.      Wani, A. (n.d.). India’s SCO presidency: Leveraging opportunities. ORF, from https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/indias-sco-presidency-leveraging-opportunities/ 

12.     What to Watch in 2023: India’s Pivotal Year on the Global Stage. (n.d.). United States Institute of Peace, from https://www.usip.org/publications/2023/02/what-watch-2023-indias-pivotal-year-global-stage

Pic Courtsey-Joel Heard at unsplash.com

(The views expressed are those of the author and do not represent views of CESCUBE.)