Context: Recently, SCO 2022 Summit concluded in Samarkand, Uzbekistan where Samarkand declaration was signed by the member states and India takes over Presidency of the SCO for 2023.

Key-points made by PM Modi

• PM Modi had separate bilateral meetings with Russian President Putin, Uzbek President Mirziyoyev and Iranian President Raisi.

• Hurdles: PM Modi spoke about the pandemic and the Ukraine war.

• Turning into global manufacturing hub: Stressing on the need of increased cooperation among nations, he said that India is working towards becoming a global manufacturing hub.

• Ahead in traditional medicines: In April 2022, WHO inaugurated its Global Centre for Traditional Medicines in Gujarat. This was the first and only global center by WHO for traditional treatment. India will take an initiative for a new SCO working group on traditional medicines.

• Among fastest growing economy: India's economy is expected to grow at the rate of 7.5 per cent this year.

• India highlighted to Russia that 'it's not an era of war', “food, fertilizer, fuel security are among major concerns”.

The upcoming bundle of meetings

• India will also assume the presidency at the end of the summit until September 2023 and will also host the summit next year.

• Apart from this, India will also assume the presidency of the G20 (Group of Twenty) for a year starting 1 December 2022 and is expected to host over 200 meetings across the country during presidency tenure. 

About the Samarkand? Declaration

• The Samarkand declaration advocated “commitment to peaceful settlement of differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation”.

• They stress that the principles of mutual respect for sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity of States, equality, mutual benefit, non- interference in internal affairs, and non-use or threat of use of force are the basis for sustainable development of international relations.

• The member countries are planning to develop common principles and approaches to form a unified list of terrorists, separatist and extremist organizations whose activities are prohibited on the territories of the SCO member states.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

• The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is a central Asian security body dominated by Russia and China.

• It is an intergovernmental organization formed in 2001, as a talking shop for Russia, China and ex-Soviet states in Central Asia.

• In 2017, it expanded to include India and Pakistan with a view to playing a bigger role as counterweight to Western influence in the region.

Since its inception, the SCO has mainly focused on

• Regional security issues,

• Its fight against regional terrorism,

• Ethnic separatism and

• Religious extremism.

• To date, the SCO’s priorities also include regional development.

Members: Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan

• Before the inception of SCO, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan were members of the Shanghai Five.

Observer Countries: Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia

• Dialogue Partners: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey

Significance:The SCO is the world’s largest regional organisation consisting of 40% of the world’s population and 30% of global gross domestic product (GDP).

• The SCO has been an observer in the UN General Assembly since 2005.