SCO Foreign Ministers’ meeting held in Kyrgyzstan

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers was held in Kyrgyzstan capital Bishkek. It was attended by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

Key Highlights

• Background: This was the second SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting attended by India as a full member of SCO and was represented by Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. The last CFM meeting was held in Beijing, China on April 2018.
• About: The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CMF) is a two-day meeting which was recently held in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic.
• Objective: The SCO CFM meeting in Bishkek reviewed the preparations for forthcoming SCO Summit which is scheduled to be held in Bishkek on 13-14 June 2019. It also exchanged views on topical issues of international and regional importance.

About SCO

• Background: The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was founded in 2001 at Shanghai summit by presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. SCO succeeded the Shanghai Five mechanism which was established in 1996.
• About: It is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation and also a Eurasian, political, economic and security alliance. It seeks towards military cooperation between its member states.
• Function: The alliance is primarily centred on security-related concerns of its Central Asian members with main threats being separatism, terrorism and extremism. It also works towards counter-terrorism operations, intelligence-sharing in Central Asia.
• Members (8): China, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan. India and Pakistan were granted membership in 2017. Prior to that till 2005 both India and Pakistan were observer at SCO.
• Observer States (4): Iran, Afghanistan, Belarus and Mongolia.
• SCO Dialogue Partners: Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Armenia, Turkey, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

Month: Current Affairs - May, 2019