Prime Minister Manmohan Singh?s visit to Russia has sparked off discussions in the diplomatic circles, yet again, on the role of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). When it was founded in 2001, it was seen as China?s first concerted move in the field of international diplomacy.
In the last six years, the geo-political scenario has radically changed and so also the balance of power. The fall out of 9/11, the war in Afghanistan and later the massive invasion of Iraq and the current catch-22 situation of the United States have made it even more difficult to comprehend the post-cold war crisis. In this context, it would be interesting to review the role that the SCO plays.
The five original founders of the organisation (China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) declared that it was aimed at laying the foundation of political trust, unity and coordination among the SCO member states. Later on Uzbekistan joined the organisation. India, along with Pakistan, Iran and Mongolia, has observer status.
Nowadays, the SCO has become an independent political power centre in pan-Asian international relations setup. It counterbalances the influence of the USA and united Europe in the Asian region.
The SCO is proving to be a significant modern regional and international policy body, creating an efficient model for jointly counteracting efforts against threats to peace and stability in the central, eastern and south Asian region.
The group hopes the international community would respect its system and road to development independently chosen by the SCO member and observer countries.
Economic cooperation between the member countries is an important aspect of the organisation?s activities. Integrating India with SCO would strengthen trade and economic ties with all the members of the organisation.
It would boost regional cooperation, provide access to the raw material market, especially energy resources. Moreover, the participation of the Indian side in oil and gas projects of the SCO would dramatically increase the level of energy security in India and the south Asian region at large.
Petroleum minister Murli Deora, who attended the fifth summit meeting of the SCO last year, said India was keen on associating with the group and identified energy security as a key area of mutual cooperation.
For India, it is increasingly crucial to partner with oil-rich central Asian states to diversify its energy suppliers. The energy resources of the region are yet to be fully tapped. So, India ccould play a key role in creating new oil and natural gas transport routes. It would solve the domestic energy problem and raise Indian presence in the global energy market.
