Four countries have signed a MoU to join the Shanghai Organisation Corporation (SCO) as Dialogue Partners. This was signed at the end of two day Council of Foreign Ministers meeting under India’s presidency and ahead of the July Summit in New Delhi where Iran and Belarus will join as full members.

The Ambassador of the State of Kuwait in India Jasem Alnajem told Financial Express Online that the joining of the organization as a dialogue partner is the first step, as Kuwait is looking forward to being a full-fledged member in future and working with this organization to achieve security and development in the region.

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According to him this is in line with his country’s key foreign policy objectives, as trade and economic cooperation, global supply chain and food and energy security are among the areas to which Kuwait attaches great importance.

Ambassador Alnajem stated that Kuwait seeks to benefit from the experience of the organization’s members to address these issues, and it is keen to participate in anti-terrorism strategies. “As part of Kuwait’s contribution to alleviating the disruption of global supply chains and the food and energy insecurity facing humanity due to the Covid pandemic and regional conflicts, the country has worked and is still working with a group of partners in the region to build flexible supply chains,” he added.

Adding that he strongly believes that the SCO has the potential to contribute even more to regional peace and prosperity. By deepening cooperation among member states, the SCO can help to promote stability and security in the region, and also contribute to the wider global community.

Ambassador Al-Najem expressed his gratitude to Secretary-General of the SCO General Zhang Ming, in a speech he delivered after the signing the MoU for granting the State of Kuwait the status of a dialogue partner in the organization, explaining Kuwait’s aspiration to work with it to achieve security and stability in the region.

In conclusion, the SCO Secretary General said that it is worth mentioning that the bloc is an important regional organization that has much to offer, and by working closely together, its member states can make significant contributions to the region’s development, and to global peace and prosperity.

According to the SCO the signing of the MoU has completed the legal procedure to implement the decision. This was actually adopted at the SCO Heads of State Council Meeting in Samarkand, in 2021.

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What does this mean?

The new Dialogue partners are now planning to interact with the member states of the bloc in various sectors including energy, IT, agriculture, regional stability and security, trade and investment, technology, communications among others.

As SCO Dialogue Partners these countries can take part in specialised intra-SCO events at the invitation of the members.

The SCO was established in June 2001 and has members including Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan and Afghanistan, Iran, Belarus and Mongolia hold Observer Status. There are six Dialogue Partners: Nepal, Sri Lanka, Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Cambodia.