News Highlight
China’s President will likely travel to Kazakhstan and attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan.
Key Takeaway
- The Prime Minister of India and Russia’s President have indicated their attendance at the SCO summit and are likely to meet on the sidelines.
- The summit in Uzbekistan has assumed particular significance for India as it will take over as chair this year and host next year’s meet in India.
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
- The SCO is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation, the creation of which was announced on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai (China) by the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan.
- The Shanghai Five became known as the SCO after Uzbekistan joined the group in 2001.
- Pakistan and India joined in 2017.
- Beijing-based SCO Secretariat offers organisational, analytical, and informational support.
The Central Asia region
- The Central Asia region (CA) comprises the countries of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
India and Central Asia Relations
- India was among the first countries to recognise the five Central Asian states. After gaining independence in the 1990s, India formed diplomatic ties with them.
- As part of its “extended and strategic neighbourhood,” India now considers the Central Asian nations part of the policy.
- India-Central Asia Summit:
- At the initiative of the Prime Minister of India, the Presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan attended the first India-Central Asia Summit in January 2022.
- Bilateral Trade and Investments:
- The major items of India’s exports are pharmaceutical products, mechanical equipment, vehicle parts, services, and optical instruments and equipment.
- India’s imports from the Central Asian countries consist mainly of fruit and vegetable products, services, fertilisers, juice products and extracts, and lubricants.
- Security Cooperation:
- India and Central Asian countries share common perspectives on security issues, including terrorism, transnational organised crime, illegal trafficking and smuggling, etc.
- Defence Cooperation:
- India-Uzbekistan Joint Military Exercise- ‘Dustlik’ and India-Kyrgyzstan Joint Military Exercise Khanjar.
- India has also assisted in setting up an India Room at the Armed Forces Academy of Uzbekistan in Tashkent.
- Bilateral and Multilateral Mechanisms:
- The India-Central Asia Dialogue is a ministerial-level dialogue between India and the Central Asian countries, namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Content Source: The Hindu