SCO defence ministers meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan

Defense Secretary Giridhar Armane attended the meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Defence Ministers in Astana, Kazakhstan on April 26, 2024. A protocol was signed by the defence ministers of all SCO member states during the meeting.

Agreeing on the idea of 'One Earth, One Family, One Future':

• The meeting was followed by a joint communique in which SCO defense ministers agreed on other initiatives. In this joint communique, it has been agreed to develop the idea of 'One Earth, One Family, One Future'. This is a reflection of the ancient Indian philosophy of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam'.

India committed to maintaining peace, stability & security in region:

• In the meeting, the Defence Secretary reiterated India's unwavering commitment towards maintaining peace, stability and security in the SCO region.
• He stressed the need to adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards all forms of terrorism for the prosperity and development of SCO member states.
• Giridhar Armane referred to India's long-standing proposal for a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism at the United Nations.
• He highlighted India's 'Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR)' concept for the Indo-Pacific.

About Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO):

• SCO functions as a regional organization focusing on politics, economics, and security in Eurasia. The objective of SCO is to maintain peace, security and stability in the concerned region.
• SCO was founded on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai.
• Shanghai-5: ‘Shanghai-5’ was formed in the year 1996.
• Before the establishment of SCO, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan were members of an organization called 'Shanghai-5'.
• After Uzbekistan's entry into this organization in 2001, 'Shanghai-5' was named SCO.
• The SCO Charter was signed in 2002 and became effective in 2003.
• The SCO recognizes Russian and Chinese as its official languages.
• Secretariat of the SCO: There is a permanent secretariat in Beijing, China.
• India and Pakistan were given the status of SCO members in the year 2017.
• Currently there are 9 member countries in SCO. The countries included in SCO are:
  • China
  • India
  • Iran
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Pakistan
  • Russia
  • Uzbekistan
  • Tajikistan.
• Iran was granted SCO membership in 2023.