The leaders of China, Russia and India are among heads of state gathering in Kyrgyzstan this week for a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), as the group seeks to strengthen cooperation among countries outside the Western bloc.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to attend the summit in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
Several bilateral meetings are also scheduled on the sidelines of the summit. Putin is expected to meet Xi on Monday, while the Russian leader is due to hold talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday, when the official SCO sessions will take place.
Russia, more than four years into its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and Iran, which has been at war with the United States and Israel for six months, see the summit as an opportunity to deepen ties with non-Western partners.
The SCO was established in 2001 by China, Russia and four Central Asian countries as a security forum.
Over the past 25 years, it has expanded in membership and influence, although its objectives and programmes remain broadly defined and its global profile is still relatively low.
The organisation now has 10 members: China, Russia, India, Iran, Pakistan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Several other countries participate as “dialogue partners”.
China and Russia have promoted the SCO as an alternative to Western-led organisations such as the Group of Seven (G7).
Beijing has in recent years pushed for a broader role for the organisation, including increased development and financial cooperation among its members.
China’s Foreign Ministry said last week that the SCO had successfully “explored a new path for regional cooperation”, as Beijing continues to promote the idea of a world order less dominated by Western powers.
Members have competing interests
Despite its growing membership, the SCO is not a unified political or military alliance.
Its members have significant differences and often pursue separate national interests, making it difficult for the organisation to act as a single bloc against Western influence.
For India, analysts say the summit is likely to be more about strategic positioning and diplomatic signalling than major policy decisions.
The SCO is strongly influenced by China and includes Pakistan, with which India has longstanding tensions.
Dinakar Peri, a fellow in security studies at Carnegie India, said the SCO gives India an opportunity to engage with key countries in a region increasingly shaped by competition among major powers.
According to Peri, the platform allows New Delhi to protect its interests, monitor changing geopolitical developments and present itself as a reliable regional stakeholder.
He said the organisation may not allow India to fully shape the agenda but gives the country a direct view of regional developments and an opportunity to balance its relationships with other powers.
Turkey, which has “dialogue partner” status in the SCO, is also seeking to strengthen its influence in the region.
Ankara sees greater engagement with the organisation as part of a balanced foreign policy that maintains its traditional relationship with the West, including its membership of NATO, while expanding its influence across Eurasia.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who secured Turkey’s entry into the SCO as a dialogue partner in 2012, has repeatedly expressed his desire for the country to become a full member.
Turkey maintains close trade relations with the European Union under a 1995 trade agreement, but its bid for EU membership has remained stalled for more than 25 years.
AP.
