Iran, Belarus to be newest SCO members
- Iran and Belarus are likely to be the two newest additions to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) grouping.
Expansion
- Expanding the group is likely to be discussed at the SCO summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in September.
- Founding Members: China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan
- Added Members: India and Pakistan (2017)
- 2021 summit (Tajikistan): Agreed for Iran to join, while Belarus has also begun the membership process.
- China and Russia are looking to frame the grouping as a counter to the West — particularly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
India and SCO
- India will host the SCO summit next year,
- Varanasi has been selected as the SCO region’s first “Tourism and Cultural Capital”.
Significance of SCO for India:
- Deepening strategic reach in Central Asia
- Boost energy security
- Platform to discuss bilateral issues with Pakistan and China.
- Combating terrorism, extremism, and radicalization.
- Boost Connectivity with the Eurasian region, and to Europe
- Deepening people-to-people engagement through cooperation
Prelims Take Away
- Location Based Questions
- SCO & its Summits
- Tourism and Cultural Capital