Observer Countries, Iran And Belarus May Become Full-Time Members Of SCO: Officials

Iran and Belarus which are also the observer countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) possibly could become full-time members of the charter as the decision is under consideration as of now, an official said.

Iran & Belarus could be a permanent part of SCO

Earlier, in the SCO defence ministers’ meeting happened on April 27-28 in the national capital Delhi, India had invited both the two countries to participate in it.

Moreover, the Minister of Defence of Belarus Major General Viktor Khrenin and Iranian Defence Minister Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiani participated in the SCO meeting in the national capital that was chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

India hosting this year’s SCO meeting

India is hosting this year’s SCO meeting and Goa is prepared to welcome all of the SCO member states’ foreign ministers to the location where decisions regarding new SCO members will be made.

“The most important work before the SCO Foreign Ministers will be to assess the status of decisions that will be approved at the SCO Summit in New Delhi in July. The meeting will also give an opportunity to discuss the state of multilateral cooperation in SCO, regional and global issues of interest, reform and modernization of the Organization and the progress of admitting Iran and Belarus to the SCO as new Member States,” MEA Secretary Dammu Ravi said in Goa.

He added that India’s efforts to further deepening of the bonds of friendship and cooperation in SCO were evident through various socio-cultural events that were hosted.

Which countries are part of SCO?

Presently, the SCO has Russia India, China, Pakistan and four Central Asian countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as its members. If consideration is accepted by the SCO member on Iran and Belarus to take as new members of SCO, it will have 10 members in the SCO by next year.

The SCO has mainly focused its fight against regional security issues, regional terrorism, ethnic separatism and religious extremism. To date, the SCO’s priorities have also included regional development.

“The meeting will also give an opportunity to discuss the state of multilateral cooperation in SCO, regional and global issues of interest, reform and modernisation of the Organisation,” the MEA Secretary said while speaking about the SCO charter in Goa.

Several socio-cultural events organized by India were organized for the first time in the framework of the SCO. To date, India has successfully hosted meetings of SCO ministers of finance, environment, sports, transport, defence, culture, energy, tourism, and ministers responsible for dealing with emergency situations.

Also Read: China Assures “Coordination And Cooperation” And Pledges To Enhance Bilateral Ties With Both Russia And India

‘Secure-SCO’

The theme of India’s Chairmanship of SCO in 2023 is ‘Secure-SCO’. India attaches special importance to SCO in promoting multilateral, political, security, economic and people-to-people interactions in the region. Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organization established in 2001.

(With Input feeds)