India in SCO: India will be of Great Significance to the Regional Security (EXCLUSIVE)

• 03.02.2016, 12:52
• Naira Mkrtchyan
•  EEU,  Asia,  World,  Interview

Կամալա Կումարի, փորձագետ (Նյու Դելի, Հնդկաստան)

Armedia" IAA presents an exclusive interview with Indian expert on CIS countries 

Kamala Kumari 

- Almost 10 years India has been an observer in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), and now it is becoming its permanent member. What role will India have in SCO?

First of all let’s remember that the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a regional grouping of Russia, China and the four Central Asian Republics - Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is the only regional grouping in the vast Eurasian region and the core objectives of the SCO is regional security and economic development.

The SCO member states occupy a territory of around 30 million 189 thousand square km, which makes up 3/5 of the Eurasian continent, and have a population of 1,5 billion, which makes up a quarter of the planet’s population. The SCO has emerged as an influential regional organization in the Eurasian space. It has made considerable progress in terms of coordinating regional efforts to address security challenges in the region. There is an attempt on the part of member states towards greater economic engagement however, they have not succeeded to that extent as desired. Given the size of the SCO and the economic and political potential, the organization definitely has a major influence in the region.

In 2005, India was made an Observer in the SCO, and in the Ufa Summit, 2014, it was invited to officially apply for full membership. Accordingly, at the Ufa Summit in 2015 India and Pakistan were invited as full members, though technically on completion of certain procedural formalities they will become full members in 2016. 

Noting the significance of the SCO in the Eurasian region and beyond and India’s growing role in the regional and global affairs in recent times this will promote peace and prosperity in this region.

- How India will benefit from SCO membership? What will be its implications for India?

- India has shown its keen interest on becoming a full member so as to contribute effectively to issues of common concerns. However, initially on the issue of elevating India’s status to membership there were discordant views and scepticism amongst the member countries.

Russia has been on the whole supportive of India’s candidature. Ever since the decision to expand the organization was being considered, Russia favoured India’s inclusion. And Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in an interview said that, India’s and Pakistan’s elevation would boost the international authority of the SCO. Two factors explain this thinking, according to Alexander Lukin, first, Indian admission would significantly increase the SCO’s political weight and economic attractiveness among developing countries. Second, some analysts in Russia fear too rapid growth of China’s economic role in Central Asia. From this point of view one could only welcome India’s admission to the SCO as this country can make a significant contribution to the Central Asian countries and help diversify their external economic relations. The CARs have always supported India’s inclusion into the SCO. They viewed India as a soft balancer against the two leading powers, as it would strengthen their multi vector foreign policies.

The SCO has made concerted efforts over the past decade, to effectively block increasing security threats in the region through the creation of transnational anti-terror agencies and the staging of multinational joint drills. An expanded SCO could, thus, provide a broader platform for security cooperation in Eurasia. It will be very interesting to see the new look and the prospects of development of the SCO.

- How India’s accession will affect the balance of power within the organisation? How India and Pakistan can cooperate in SCO?

- It is not very difficult to explain the risks and opportunities facing Delhi. Especially keeping in mind how the SCO have achieved stability, security, and sustained economic development in a world riddled with revolutions, chaos, crises, and another major economic downturn. With the trend towards regionalism gathering momentum, membership of a grouping could be beneficial. The nature of the present threats pose a grave challenge to a nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and require a concerted and a collective approach. It also helps in strengthening the bargaining position as a regional group vis-a-vis other regions on issues of economic consideration. The SCO can promote a positive discourse on regional cooperation. From the Indian perspective it is better to be a member and contribute to the peace and stability of the region. Also this would help India and Central Asia get more closer specially keeping in mind that Central Asia is in India’s extended neighbourhood and is vital for India’s growing energy demands. And it would always be beneficial to be engaged with the region in any way and any form. In his acceptance speech Prime Minister Modi said: "…our membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is the natural extension of the relationships that India has with member countries and mirror’s the region’s place in India’s future."  Further he said: "It will promote peace and prosperity in this vast region that has often been called the "pivot of history"."

Both India and Pakistan face the challenges of terrorism, separatism and extremism. Their future entry into the SCO will be a positive step for their domestic security, and will extend the anti-terrorism network. But there is more to the SCO’s growing membership than security. As quoted in Xinhua news, "with the accession of India and Pakistan, the SCO could play a more substantial economic role". Also, Chinese President Xi Jinping is proposing the "Belt and Road" (New Silk Road) initiative to be effectively connected with India’s development plans. Putin and Xi Jinping had agreed on the need to align China’s Silk Road Economic Belt with the Eurasian Economic Union. PRC Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying described such coordination as "an important strategic measure to boost regional economic cooperation and achieve common prosperity" and said countries involved were already in discussions. India’s inclusion maybe will also save off some of the criticism of the organisation as a grouping of states with little affection for the Western world order. Incorporating India as a full member also mitigates fears that the SCO will shape up to be a Russia led NATO; as presumed to be the persistent perception of the organisation. This perception has been exacerbated by full-scale military cooperation between SCO members.

- Are there any challenges in SCO?

- There are some challenges like the language factor. Till now only Russian and Chinese was the official language, as these countries either spoke Russian or Chinese, however, now that India and Pakistan will become members, they neither speak Russian, nor Chinese. Also now that the sanctions has been lifted from Iran, there is a possibility that it will join the SCO. Iran has Observer status now. Also, it is unclear, how India will figure into the SCO’s existing arrangements for counter-terrorism and intelligence sharing. But it is clear that India will be of great significance to the regional security.