The External Affairs Ministry announced that India will be admitted as a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), to join hands with Pakistan and China to combat terrorism during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s weekend visit to Astana in Kazakhstan.
Quoting the External Affairs Minister, Gopal Baglay, The Hindu reported:
We are going to Astana to become full member [of SCO], and we know the obligations and functions of the member states. We participate with many countries, including Pakistan, in the UN peacekeeping operations, and terrorism is a fight which is incumbent on all countries.
As a full member of SCO, India will be required to cooperate with other members both in trading sectors and anti-terrorism activities. In case of an annual counter-terror exercise, India will be obligated to participate, an official said.
India and Pakistan signed the memorandum on 24 June 2016 in Tashkent, in Kazakhstan, kickstarting the formal process of becoming full members.
Under its framework, there are two branches of cooperation – one is trade, banking, connectivity and energy and the other is counter-terrorism.
The Hindu quoted GV Srinivas, Joint Secrtary in-charge of the Eurasia division in the Ministry, as saying:
Both are of relevance and great importance to us. Joint exercises, data bank of terrorists and a lot of coordination. We hope to benefit from these.
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