• Defence Secretary reiterates India’s steadfast commitment towards maintaining peace, stability & security in SCO region
  • Calls for adopting zero-tolerance approach towards terrorism

New Delhi. 28 April 2024. Defence Secretary of India Giridhar Aramane participated in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan on April 26, 2024. During the meeting, a protocol was signed by the Defence Ministers of all SCO Member States. A Joint Communique was issued after the meeting, in which the SCO Defence Ministers agreed, amongst other initiatives, to developing the idea of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’, which is rooted in the ancient Indian philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’.

The People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan announced in Shanghai, China on June 15, 2001, the establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), an intergovernmental organisation.  With the exception of Uzbekistan, the other five nations are members of the “Shanghai Five,” which was established by China in 1996 to address border security concerns with four of its neighbours. After Uzbekistan joined the organisation in 2001, the cooperation was renamed the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

At the meeting, the Defence Secretary reiterated India’s steadfast commitment towards maintaining peace, stability and security in the SCO region. He emphasised the need to adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards terrorism in all its forms for prosperity and development of the SCO Member States. Shri Giridhar Aramane mentioned about India’s long-standing proposal of Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism at the United Nations. He also highlighted the concept of ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR)’, proposed by India for the Indo-Pacific.

With a combined population of 1.5 billion, or a quarter of the global population, the six member states make up three-fifths of the Eurasian continent. In the capital city of Astana, Kazakhstan, on June 9, 2017, India and Pakistan were admitted as full members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. This is the organization’s first expansion since it was founded in 2001. With the addition of two new members, the organisation now represents 3 billion people and contributes 25% of the global GDP. One of the few multilateral organisations where China has a clear leadership role is the SCO. Eight countries make up the SCO at the moment, along with four observer states and six dialogue partners.