Despite representing nearly half the world’s population, accounting for about a quarter of the world’s gross domestic product and covering more than 60 per cent of the Eurasian land mass, the role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in the international arena remains relatively limited.
While the SCO has long been a priority in China’s neighbourhood diplomacy, the grouping also serves as a platform through which all member states pursue their own foreign policy goals. What would it take for the SCO to become a more influential actor in global affairs?
In preparation for the upcoming SCO leaders’ summit, scheduled for August 31-September 1 in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek, the foreign ministers of the organisation’s 10 members – China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Iran and Belarus – met in the Kyrgyz resort city of Cholpon-Ata on July 24 and adopted a joint statement outlining shared positions on a range of regional and international issues. However, that does not necessarily mean the member nations hold identical views on the key geopolitical questions.
Tense relations between India and Pakistan have frequently blocked consensus inside the organisation. While SCO Secretary General Nurlan Yermekbayev has said about 20 countries have applied to join the group in various capacities, New Delhi and Islamabad appear to have a history of hindering the SCO’s expansion.
Reports suggest India blocked Azerbaijan’s bid to become a member of the SCO last year and that Pakistan and Belarus thwarted Armenia’s efforts to enter the bloc. Perhaps aware that Delhi could oppose Bangladesh’s SCO membership bid amid strained relations between the two countries, authorities in Dhaka have sought Russia’s support for its potential membership.
However, Russia is bogged down in Ukraine and faces a serious energy crisis at home. Moscow does not seem to be in a position to pressure India, a country from which it is now forced to import fuel, to back Bangladesh’s accession.
