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Introduction:

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a multilateral organization consisting of eight nations, including India, has emerged as a significant entity in Eurasia. India, a member since 2017, has been actively engaging with the SCO for multiple reasons, such as maintaining regional security, fostering economic relationships, and addressing threats from extremism. The recent SCO meeting hosted by India underlines the growing importance of this platform in its foreign policy.

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The SCO accounts for over 60% of Eurasia’s territory, more than 40% of the world’s population, and almost a quarter of the world’s GDP, and thus presents ample opportunities for India.

Reasons for India’s Shift in Engagement with the SCO

• Regional Security: 
  • SCO provides India a platform to neutralize regional threats from religious extremism and terrorism. 
  • For instance, post the Western drawdown from Afghanistan and rise of Islamic State (IS), SCO provides an arena for India to discuss and work towards stabilizing the region.
• Embracing Regionalism: 
  • Given India’s declining engagement with SAARC and RCEP, SCO has become an increasingly important platform for regional cooperation.
  • Through the SCO, India can facilitate critical collaboration in energy, trade and transportation, and deal with traditional and non-traditional security threats.
• Connect With Central Asia: 
  • SCO serves as a strategic tool to advance India’s Connect Central Asia policy. 
  • It allows India to reconnect and re-energize ties with Central Asia, a region with which India has shared historical and civilizational linkages.
• Dealing With Pakistan & China: 
  • The SCO has provided India a regional context to constructively engage with both China and Pakistan, notwithstanding existing tensions. 
  • The SCO has been instrumental for India to hold talks with China, especially during the LAC standoff.

Implications for India’s Foreign Policy

• Stability in Afghanistan:
  • India’s role in SCO has been influential in delving into the rapidly changing situation in Afghanistan and the region’s security landscape.
  • This proactive involvement has implications for India’s security and development policy.
• Strategic Balancing: 
  • By joining the SCO, India has balanced its geopolitical relations, counterbalancing its robust relations with the Western world. 
  • This participation has helped India project a balanced foreign policy.
• Foundational Dimensions of SECURE: 
  • India’s Prime Minister articulated the foundational dimension of Eurasia being ‘SECURE’, outlining India’s vision for the region – 
    • Security for citizens, 
    • Economic development for all, 
    • Connecting the region, 
    • Unite the people, 
    • Respect for Sovereignty and Integrity, and 
    • Environment protection. 
  • This has been an important aspect of India’s engagement with SCO and a key part of India’s foreign policy strategy.
• Security Cooperation: 
  • Participation in SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) gives India an active role in regional security dynamics.
• Greater Economic Integration: 
  • The SCO enables India to pursue closer economic ties with member countries, enhancing its economic footprint.

Challenges That India Needs to Navigate

• Despite the opportunities, India also faces several challenges in its engagement with the SCO. 
• These include the denial of direct land connectivity by Pakistan, growing Russia-China convergence which might affect the balance of power, differences over BRI with other SCO members, and India-Pakistan rivalry that could potentially affect the functioning of the SCO.

Conclusion: 

As a new member of SCO, India needs to formulate an appropriate Eurasian strategy that serves its regional interests, maintains sovereignty, and prevents the region from becoming a hub of terrorism and extremism. It is also in India’s interest to ensure that this region does not evolve into a geopolitical chessboard of new great game rivalries. Despite the challenges, SCO provides a strategic platform for India’s outreach to the Eurasian region and beyond, fostering a more cooperative and stable regional environment.

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