India enters SCO as member, Modi thanks Xi for support

23 June, Tashkent

China Thursday welcomed India’s entry into the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as full member as the country started the process of signing of instruments of obligations.

Briefing media about the meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said Xi hailed India’s accession to the SCO, and the Premier thanked him for his support.

India will have to sign 35 instruments of obligations during the course of the year to complete the process of becoming a full-fledged member of the SCO . However, India, in the meanwhile, would be eligible for attending all the meetings of the organisation.

The entry of India into the security and political grouping will give the country an opportunity to engage the member countries more effectively on security and anti-terrorism.

Besides, emergence of a SCO energy club was also in the air and India will have to see how things shape up and how they could be used to its advantage.

“SCO is important for us as the countries comprising it are a part of our extended neighbourhood,” Secretary West Sujata Mehta had said in New Delhi ahead of the SCO summit.

India had attended the China-led SCO as observer for the first time in 2005. The discussions for admitting new members had started in 2010 and it was in 2014 that India formally applied for its membership.

The SCO at present comprises China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Iran and Afghanistan have observer status while Pakistan along with India was also getting full-time membership of the organisation.

There are also strong chances of Iran also becoming formal member of the SCO later.Besides Iran and Afghanistan, Belarus and Mongolia too enjoy the Observer status