Published By: Soham Halder

Understanding Ongoing SCO Summit as Jaishankar Takes India to the Diplomatic Forefront

India's External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, is currently participating in SCO Summit in Pakistan.

Jaishankar created history by visiting Pakistan for SCO summit, the last time any Indian Foreign Minister visited there was Sushma Swaraj in 2015. Despite that, this summit will be memorable for multiple reasons. In this article, we will discuss about SCO summit and Jaishankar’s contribution in taking India to diplomatic forefront globally.

What is SCO Summit?

The SCO summit stands for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, an annual meeting for leaders from member nations come together to discuss as well as coordinate crucial regional issues.

 

(Credit - X/@DrSJaishankar)

These summits are extremely important for strengthening relationships and promoting mutual understanding among the countries.

Officially, the SCO was first established in Shanghai on June 15, 2001 with six founding members including Kazakhstan, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. It was basically an evolved version of Shanghai Five group, established in 1996.

Currently, there are 9 members in SCO summit including India and Pakistan. This 25th SCO summit has three observer states – Afghanistan, Belarus, and Mongolia. There are 14 dialogue partners also including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Türkiye.

Interestingly, the SCO represents almost 40% of total population of the world. Moreover, the member nations contribute more than $23 trillion to global GDP.

(Credit - X/@aminabm)

Aim of SCO Summit:

The major aim of this summit is to promote trade and economic cooperation among member countries by combating the “3 evils” of terrorism, separatism, and extremism.

The main agendas of ongoing 25th SCO Summit 2024 are preventing terrorism by strengthening the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), economic collaboration, promoting partnerships, promoting "Make in India" initiative as a key driver for global economic growth, developing climate-resilient infrastructure, awareness about sustainable practices, environmental protection, regional security and strategizing future cooperation.

The overarching theme of the SCO summit is "Strengthening Multilateral Dialogue—Striving Towards a Sustainable Peace and Prosperity.”

(Credit - X/@DrSJaishankar)

India @SCO Summit:

India's participation in SCO is not only a diplomatic protocol; it also highlights a strategic engagement for its security as well as fulfilling economic interests.

Central Asian countries including Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are important partners for India for their rich natural resources. For example, Kazakhstan, the largest producer of uranium plays a key role in fulfilling India's nuclear energy ambitions. On the other hand, Turkmenistan has some of the world's biggest natural gas reserves. Apart from that, addressing ongoing geopolitical issues are also key talking points. The relationship between India and Pakistan is another highlight of this summit.

(Credit - X/@DrSJaishankar)

Jaishankar’s Contribution in Indian Diplomacy:

Jaishankar has always been focused on pushing economic diplomacy with a hope of bringing India the much-required boost in technology and capital. The 1977 batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), S Jaishankar had been posted in Moscow in early phase of his career. He has served as India's representative in various European capitals. Jaishankar has also served as first secretary and political advisor to the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka. The voracious reader Jaishankar possesses knowledge and realistic view of foreign policy, which made him a key member of the team that operated on the nuclear deal with the US. After years of hardwork by scientists and policymakers, the deal was signed by the UPA government headed by Manmohan Singh in 2008.

India's participation in SCO summit emphasizes the commitment to foster regional cooperation while securing a more stable and prosperous future for itself and neighbours.