SCO Should Be More Proactive In Consolidating Eurasia’s Interests
This was the first SCO Summit held in person since the Covid-19 pandemic in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on September 15 and 16. There was a conflict between China and India in the Galwan Valley and the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the time.
SCO brought together 15 regional ‘strong powers,’ including Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, and India. In 2005, India joined the SCO as an observer but joined the SCO in 2017, along with Pakistan as a full member.
Analyzing The Declaration
In the Samarkand Declaration, member governments joined forces to preserve international energy security, address climate change, and maintain a safe, stable, and diverse supply chain. It also created task forces for innovation, entrepreneurship, poverty alleviation, and traditional medicine within the SCO.
Member nations will support SCO activities through political and diplomatic methods to address regional and global conflicts. SCO nations pledged to eliminate factors that promote terrorism, separatism, and extremism.
For the first time since the Russian-Ukraine war, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping met during the summit in Samarkand. West sanctions are putting both nations under pressure. Russia and China consider SCO an anti-western bloc, partly to counter US influence in the region.
Meanwhile, China wants Russia to assist it with its geopolitical ambitions and the Taiwan issue. As part of the recent geopolitical dialogue between the Kremlin and Beijing, Vladimir Putin described the relationship as a ‘no-limit partnership.’
Russia’s President acknowledged Indian concerns about the conflict in Ukraine and expressed his commitment to ending it as soon as possible. The pandemic and the Ukrainian war have caused high inflation and economic unrest in international communities, and India is no exception.
The government of India expressed concern over the situation in Ukraine, and it emphasized that developing nations face particular problems with food, fuel, and fertilizer supplies.
With its unique relationship with Moscow, India is keeping a delicate balance on the Ukrainian crisis. Having only one prescription for every problem, sanctions, the West rarely finds success.
As opposed to the West, India emphasized sovereignty and territorial integrity without threatening or imposing sanctions. Narendra Modi clarified that “this is not a time for war” but for democracy, diplomacy, and negotiation. Modi is taking a different approach when he makes this comment.
Iran: A Revamped SCO
India has signed a Memorandum of Obligation to support Iran’s membership in the SCO. As a result of its positive relations with Russia and Iran, China is in a position to balance organizational power dynamics in the SCO.
The US (mainly) and other western nations have unilaterally imposed sanctions on Iran and Russia. Additionally, the West opposes China’s expansionist behaviour in Asia and Taiwan. Three countries (China, Russia, and Iran) have similar adversaries and goals.
Iran mentioned that ‘New problems are needed to thwart ‘Draconian’ US sanctions to counter western sanctions through SCO.’ A few days before the summit, China and India announced plans to withdraw their forces from PP-15 (Patrolling Point 15) in Gogra-Hot spring.
In India, this has been seen as a significant step towards ending the standoff since May 2020. India’s presence at the SCO meeting was essential to exert pressure on the West by forging a coalition with Russia and China.
During his address, PM Modi stressed the importance of trust among SCO leaders. India discussed transit rights; India stated that it took months for India to obtain transit rights to send supplies to Afghanistan through Pakistan.
Aside from urging the SCO members to promote conventional medicine, India also called for improved connectivity for development. The pandemic and the Ukrainian conflict disrupted global supply chains.
The result was an insufficient supply of food and energy throughout the world. It is essential for Eurasia to have a reliable, resilient, and diversified global supply chain.
Our region could only benefit from transit rights if we provide each other with them. Connectivity is essential for India and Central Asia to succeed in trade, investment, and other exchanges. It was crucial to assert India’s position on trade and connectivity between member states at the Samarkand summit.
Maintain The SCO Charter
The SCO can mitigate regional security and global crises. Through this platform, regional members can foster improved cooperation and communication. Throughout the world, the international situation has deteriorated dramatically.
China, Moscow, and Washington are deteriorating their relations over the Taiwan Strait and Ukraine crisis. SCO leaders must address this new global problem. Various concerns exist worldwide, from climate change to the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.
SCOs stand above the geopolitical ambitions of individual countries and can present an ideal platform for addressing humanity’s pressing needs by transcending national boundaries. The SCO can be a perfect platform to address humanity’s transnational challenges.
Through the SCO, China and Russia aim to create an anti-western coalition that could harm Eurasian national interests in the long run. To achieve overall growth, the SCO must collaborate with other countries and major powers on a multilateral basis (at IOs). To consolidate the interests of member states in the Eurasian landmass, the SCO needs to play a proactive role.
Edited by Prakriti Arora
