Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit and Central Asia Strategy
Source:Indian Express ↗
हे का महत्त्वाचे आहे
The SCO summit and India's engagement with Central Asia directly impact India's regional security, energy diplomacy, and Eurasian strategy, making it a recurring theme for Mains GS2.
सारांश
The article details India's strategic objectives at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit held in Bishkek, focusing on deepening engagement with Central Asia, tackling regional security concerns, and improving trade and connectivity.
मुख्य मुद्दे
- The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit serves as a crucial multilateral platform for India to engage with Central Asian Republics (CARs) and other regional powers.
- Key Indian objectives in the SCO include bolstering regional security, combating terrorism and drug trafficking, and enhancing economic and connectivity ties with Central Asia.
- Central Asia remains strategically vital for India's extended neighborhood policy, energy security, and geopolitical balance in Eurasia.
महत्त्वाच्या संज्ञा
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
A Eurasian intergovernmental political, economic, and security organization founded in 2001, focusing on regional counter-terrorism, economic cooperation, and strategic dialogue among member states including India, China, Russia, and Central Asian nations.
UPSC context
UPSC Mains GS Paper II: Important international institutions, agencies and fora - their structure, mandate, and implications for India's strategic interests.
Ashgabat Agreement
A multimodal transport and transit agreement facilitating cargo movement between Central Asia and the Persian Gulf, providing India with critical connectivity alternatives to bypass Pakistan and reach Eurasia.
UPSC context
UPSC Mains GS Paper II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India or affecting India's trade and connectivity interests.
पूर्वपरीक्षा सापळा
India has been a founding member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation since its establishment in 2001.
Aspirants often assume India is a founding member of the SCO since its inception in 2001, but India (along with Pakistan) officially joined as a full member much later in 2017.
संबंधित स्थिर संकल्पना
What is the mandate and headquarters of the SCO-RATS?
- Headquarters & Mandate: Permanent organ based in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, aimed at facilitating coordination and information sharing against terrorism, separatism, and extremism.
- India's Membership: India became a full member of the SCO in 2017 at the Astana Summit and actively participates in RATS intelligence sharing.
आंतर-विषय नमुने
SCO + Extended Neighborhood Strategy
India uses the SCO multilateral forum alongside bilateral 'India-Central Asia Dialogue' summits to project soft power and counter regional security vacuums.
Central Asia Connectivity + INSTC Trade Corridors
INSTC and Ashgabat Agreement linkages connect landlocked Central Asian energy and mineral markets to Indian western ports via Iran.
SCO's RATS mechanism vs FATF or QUAD security mandates is a frequent statement-matching trap in Prelims.
संबंधित PYQ · 2
संबंधित PYQ · 2
- 2024MainsGS2
Critically analyse India's evolving diplomatic, economic and strategic relations with the Central Asian Republics (CARs) highlighting their increasing significance in regional and global geopolitics.
- 2018MainsGS2
A number of outside powers have entrenched themselves in Central Asia, which is a zone of interest to India. Discuss the implications, in this context, of India's joining the Ashgabat Agreement, 2018.
