Russian PresidentVladimir Putin told Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has decided to include India as a full-fledged member. Thanking Putin for the news, Modi said, “Under your leadership in BRICS, India has become a member of SCO. I am very grateful.”
The BRICS summit to be held in Ufa coincides with the SCO meeting for the first time since 2009.· India had formally applied for membership during the SCO summit in Dushanbe last year.
As of now, India has Observer status in the grouping, which comprises Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Pakistan, another Observer country, is also expected to be granted membership.
Benefits for India as a Full Fledged Member of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
- India will get greater access to hydrocarbons in Central Asia.
- India will become a part of all major energy producing nations of the region which is currently dominated by China and Russia.
- It will play a major role in the SCO energy club and create a unified energy market.
- It will ensure cooperation among major oil and gas companies from the member nations.
- India will be able to make headway in the proposed pipeline project from Russia to India directly instead of getting through Pakistan or China, which may cost over $40 billion.
- India will also be able to work speedily TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan- Pakistan-India) gas pipeline project.
- India will also get more opportunities to work closely with China in certain areas including in Afghanistan.
- India also feels as SCO member, it will be able to play a major role in addressing the threat of terrorism in the region.
- India is also keen to deepen its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) which specifically deals issues relating to security and defence.
