Indian Council of World Affairs

Acting Director General of the ICWA Ms. Nutan Kapoor Mahawar,

Excellencies Ambassadors,

Colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

First of all, let me express my gratitude to the Indian Council of World Affairs for giving me the opportunity to address such a distinguished gathering of experts and analysts.

Also allow me to convey my greetings to you on the recent occasion of the 76th Republic Day of India.

It is an honour to take the floor at such an important think tank.

The topic of my speech today is "The SCO and India: Strengthening Regional Synergies for Cooperation in Eurasia". This issue is very relevant and extremely important for the further development of the SCO and the entire Eurasian continent. SCO itself being an organization of Eurasian countries.

In my address, I will try to highlight the multifaceted activities of the SCO, emphasizing India's significant contribution to the development of multilateral relations, as well as present the existing potential for progressive expansion of cooperation.

Today, the world is going through an era of significant and profound changes affecting all aspects of international relations, from politics to economics. Against the backdrop of these transformations, a new world order is emerging, opening up wide opportunities for the development of countries and strengthening partnerships.

Under these conditions, the role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is of particular importance. The choice made by the SCO Member States at the beginning of the 21st century has become a vivid example of the harmony of good-neighborly and cooperative relations and continues to serve as evidence of the strength and steadfastness of the "Shanghai spirit".

We often speak of Shanghai Spirit, but what does it mean? They include, in my view, mutual equality, consultations and respect for consultations, etc. That is why SCO is good venue for addressing seemingly intractable problems.

The SCO provides a unique platform for addressing regional and global challenges, such as security, economic development and cultural interaction. In the context of the growing competition among multilateral formats, the SCO plays an important role in supporting stability and strengthening mutual trust between States. This word, competition, here is being used in a positive sense. This means that the SCO adapts quickly to the evolving situation.

Each participating country, in turn, has the opportunity to show its initiative and influence, which contributes to a more balanced and mutually beneficial development of the region as a whole.

It is important to understand that the SCO is not an alliance focused on confrontation with other states and regions. On the contrary, we firmly adhere to the principle of openness, offering opportunities to develop and deepen cooperation in various forms with interested countries, as well as with other international and regional organizations, while respecting the diversity of cultures. The SCO is a creative organization.

It is fundamentally important for peoples to independently choose the path of their political and socio-economic development, as well as the peaceful settlement of conflicts on the basis of equality, non-interference in internal affairs, sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.

The SCO has consistently adhered to the principle that bilateral disputes are not subject to discussion within its institutions. This principle was reaffirmed at the Astana Summit, during which the Statement of the Council of Heads of State on the Principles of Good-Neighbourliness, Trust and Partnership was adopted. The SCO focuses on promoting joint cooperation in areas that are important to all its Member States.

The SCO is called upon to play a more active role in promptly responding to major events, especially on the territory of its members. That is one of the reasons, why the leaders of the SCO countries initiated the process of reform and modernization. The events taking place in the region cannot go unnoticed, and timely, coordinated steps of the organization will not only be the key to strengthening regional security, but also clear evidence of the readiness of the Member States to solve global and local problems together, which will ensure the stability and further development of the entire region.

In the context of the current geopolitical tensions, the SCO actively comes up with initiatives aimed at maintaining peace and stability in the global context.

One of these initiatives was the SCO Initiative "On World Unity for a Just Peace, Harmony and Development", proposed at the summit in Astana. This initiative underlines the SCO's unwavering commitment to the formation of a more representative, democratic, just and multipolar world order.

Also, I would like to mention two more global ideas put forth by the leaders of our countries, which has also been reflected in the Astana summit declaration in 2024.

The SCO, taking into account the views of the Member States, confirms the relevance of initiatives to promote cooperation in building a new type of international relations in the spirit of mutual respect, justice, equality and mutually beneficial cooperation.

I would like to come to the idea itself - the formation of a common vision of the idea of creating a community with a shared future for mankind. Also of particular importance is the idea of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – "One Earth, One Family, One Future", articulated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which emphasizes the importance of global solidarity and mutual respect in achieving common prosperity.

We commend India's message of striving for fair and equitable growth for all countries of the world, based on sustainability, integrity, responsibility and inclusion. This unique Indian approach is ideally combined with the provisions of the SCO Charter and the Treaty on Long-Term Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation of the SCO Member States.

India, having become an observer in the SCO in 2005, has established itself as an important partner in strengthening peace and security in Eurasia. Given New Delhi's active engagement with the SCO, India was admitted as a Member State in 2017.

Under the chairmanship of India in 2020, a meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the SCO was held in the format of a videoconference, and in 2022-2023, India chaired the Organization, presenting the slogan of the chairmanship: SECURE. During its presidency, India organized a number of significant events to promote the creative potential of the Organization.

Today, India continues to introduce new ideas and initiatives aimed at developing regional cooperation based on the principles of mutual respect and consideration of the interests of all participants. This invariably confirms the role of India as a reliable and strategic participant in the SCO.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Every year, the SCO strengthens its efforts to counter traditional and non-traditional challenges and threats to security, deepens cooperation to ensure regional security.

The commitment to the fight against terrorism, separatism and extremism remains unchanged. Any attempts to harbor terrorists or facilitate terrorist activities are strongly condemned by the SCO.

Under these conditions, the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure in Tashkent pays special attention to the practical implementation of measures provided for by the Shanghai Convention on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism, the SCO Convention against Terrorism, the SCO Convention on Countering Extremism, the Program of Cooperation of the SCO Member States in Countering Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism for 2025-2027.

The List of Terrorist, Separatist and Extremist Organizations Banned in the Territories of the SCO Member States is regularly updated. Today it includes more than 200 organizations. There are more than 10,000 persons in the Unified Search Register of the SCO Member States.

The SCO anti-terrorist exercises are held annually. In 2024, China hosted joint exercises of the special services. The successful conduct of the exercises was not only a test of the quality of collaboration between the competent authorities of the SCO Member States, accumulated over the years of cooperation, but also contributed to increasing the technical and tactical capabilities of the anti-terrorist forces.

The SCO is actively working to improve the mechanisms for countering security challenges and threats, including the creation of the Universal Center for Countering Challenges and Threats to the Security of the SCO Member States in Tashkent, including the Information Security Center and the Center for Combating Organized Crime in Bishkek, on the basis of the RATS. The parties are also planning to establish the SCO Anti-Drug Center in Dushanbe as an independent Body.

Mechanisms to combat transnational crime, including human trafficking are being strengthened. These crimes violate human rights, destroy lives and require an international response. An example of such efforts was the 19th meeting of the Prosecutors General, at which the fight against trafficking in persons, especially women and children, was designated as a key task.

Of particular concern to the Eurasian region are the problems of drug production and trafficking in the Golden Crescent and Golden Triangle areas, as well as the growing use of the Darknet and cryptocurrencies for drug trafficking.

In this context, India has an important role to play in jointly developing measures to eliminate global drug production, eradicate illicit crops and respond to the emergence of new synthetic drugs.

An important step in this field was the adoption of the SCO Anti-Drug Strategy for 2024-2029 and the Action Plan for its implementation.

Another important mechanism is the Meeting of Presidents of Supreme Courts. In March 2023, the XVIII Meeting of the Chief Justices of the Supreme Courts of the SCO Member States was successfully held in New Delhi under the chairmanship of the Indian side.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Today, we are witnessing tectonic shifts taking place in the global economy, which are characterized by a rapid increase in achievements and interconnectedness in the fields of information technology, digitalization, artificial intelligence, virtual assets, e-commerce, etc. Protectionist measures and other impediments to international trade have exacerbated various challenges, resulting in reduced investment flows, disrupted supply chains and uncertainty in global financial markets.

A gradual transition to the free movement of goods, capital and services remains one of the goals of the SCO. Here we are talking not about Free Trade Zones, but about facilitating movement of goods and their trade.

At various venues, there is a huge potential for mutually beneficial cooperation of the SCO in the economic sphere, due to the complementarity of markets and economic structures, transit opportunities, colossal natural and human resources of the member states. All our States also have mental and physical connections to each other. The steady growth of mutual trade turnover (estimated by the Secretariat to reach $650 billion in 2023, 29% more than 2022), is encouraging, and indicates the existence of a solid basis for further strengthening economic ties in the SCO space.

In recent years alone, cooperation in a number of new relevant areas has received a new impetus. The efforts of the Member States were focused on jointly solving new challenges for digital transformation, decarbonization of the economy, expansion of mutual settlements in national currencies, promotion of startups and innovations.  

The SCO Economic Development Strategy for the period up to 2030 is being implemented, reflecting the coordinated approaches of interested member states to expanding economic cooperation.

Now, negotiations continue on the creation of mechanisms for financial support of project activities, in particular, there are options for establishing - the Development Bank, the Development Fund (Special Account) and the Investment Fund - in SCO framework.

Systematic work is underway to implement the Roadmap of the SCO Member States for a gradual increase in the share of national currencies in mutual settlements. It is under discussion in the framework of the relevant expert group. The efforts of the interested stakeholders within the framework of this Roadmap are aimed at stimulating mutual settlements in national currencies between the Member States of the SCO. 

The aforementioned three projects are being realized in the format of “interested States”.

During last year's SCO Astana Summit, the heads of our States spoke in favour of further deepening people-centred cooperation in order to improve the well-being and living standards. In this regard, the most important task for us today is to transform the agreements reached into large-scale infrastructural, industrial, energy, technological and humanitarian projects. To do this, it is necessary to build a more effective and pragmatic model of trade and economic cooperation that is resistant to emerging risks, while being able to bring tangible dividends and benefits to our countries, not depending on any bilateral disputes or issues.

In this regard, the maximum use of the resources of the Business Council and the Interbank Association, the Association of Investors, the Meeting of Heads of Ports and Logistics Centers of the SCO Member States, the use of the potential of various centers of cross-border cooperation, pilot zones, transport and logistics hubs and fairs and exhibitions seems promising.

For example, we have SCO-China Demonstration Zone for Trade and Cooperation in Qingdao, China and SCO Demonstration Base for Exchange of Information and Study of Agricultural Technology in the city of Yangling, China.

The SCO can also stimulate the development of effective cooperation by setting up targeted incentives, regimes and tariffs for enterprises and citizens of Member States under the auspices of the SCO.

I am confident that India, with its colossal demographic, economic, intellectual and technological resources, can bring a lot of useful and new cooperation within the SCO, while drawing dividends for its own development. For example, this applies to agriculture, taking into account the scale of the agro-industrial complex, India's tremendous experience in the development of crops resistant to drought and limited water resources, such as millets. Great prospects for mutually beneficial collaboration are seen in the field of modern pharmaceutical production, information and communication services, where India also occupies one of the leading positions on a global scale. Without the participation of India, located at the junction of East and West, it is also difficult to fully strengthen the transport connectivity of the SCO region.

Cooperation in the energy sector received a new impetus in connection with the adoption of the Strategy for the Development of Energy Cooperation of the SCO Member States for the Period up to 2030 during the Astana Summit on July 3-4, 2024. India, which promotes the expansion of renewable energy sources, will make a huge contribution to the successful implementation of this Strategy.

We acknowledge that bilateral relationship between the SCO States have been developing rapibly. But we acknowledge the lack of any major economic projects have been implemented under the auspices of the SCO created by at least 3 countries. So far, concrete achievements in this area are quite modest and much remains to be done to consistently obtain the desired practical result.

The SCO is rapidly developing cultural and humanitarian cooperation, and India plays a significant role in this process, actively contributing to the preservation and promotion of cultural diversity and in protection of the cultural and natural heritage of the region.

In addition, on April 12-13, 2023, the Conference of Young Authors of the SCO Member States was successfully held in New Delhi. The next conference is planned to be held in 2025, which will continue to discuss pertinent topics such as intercultural cooperation, dialogue of civilizations and the development of scientific ties between the SCO Member States based on respect for different philosophical approaches and worldviews.

The cinemaSCOpe project and the SCO Mumbai Film Festival in 2023 were important milestones in cultural exchange. The presented works revealed to the audience of the SCO countries the unique aspects of Indian culture, history and social dynamics, allowing them to find common themes and concepts that bring people together, despite the difference in languages and traditions. In 2025, the SCO Film Festival will be held in China. I am sure that we will also be able to appreciate the work of film directors from the SCO countries, including India.

An example of successful cooperation was the project to designate a tourist and cultural capital of the SCO. Many events were organized in Varanasi, which became the first cultural and tourist capital of the SCO region for 2022-2023.

The SCO has significant potential for the development of rural, gastronomic, medical and ecological tourism, actively introducing modern technologies to improve infrastructure. An important step is to explore the possibility of simplifying the visa regime, which will open up new horizons to attract tourists from Member countries and all over the world.

In order to fully unlock the tourism potential of the SCO, it would be useful to reach a multilateral agreement on visa facilitation. Currently, this work is being done, but on bilateral basis, mostly.

For our part, we believe it is possible to consider the creation of favourable conditions in the migration sphere, in particular, the introduction of "green corridors" at border checkpoints. This will significantly reduce administrative barriers, strengthen trust and open up new opportunities for the development of tourism and business ties. In addition, such a measure will be an important step towards a more integrated and open region, where citizens will be able to fully use the benefits of participation in the SCO.

Health is another important area to which Member States pay great attention. Since 2010, the mechanism of the Meeting of Ministers of Health has been functioning, which sets the course for the development of cooperation in the field of health through the adoption of appropriate plans.

Joint efforts to build cooperation in the field of digitalization of healthcare remain in demand. Within the framework of the SCO, a new promising area was opened - cooperation in the field of telemedicine. This area responds to the challenges of our time and creates opportunities to improve the quality of medical care. In order to develop this area, the Concept of Cooperation between the Authorized Bodies of the SCO Member States in the Field of Telemedicine was adopted.

India has made a significant contribution to the development of cooperation in the field of traditional medicine. It was India’s initiative to establish a relevant working group. During the Samarkand summit in 2022, an Expert Working Group on Traditional Medicine was established.

Since 2008, meetings of the heads of services of the SCO member states responsible for ensuring the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population have been held. It is important to note that following the Astana SCO Summit, the Heads of State adopted a Statement on Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation. In this context, it seems promising to create a mechanism within the SCO format to promote the introduction and development of water-saving technologies, which will contribute to solving pressing water supply problems in the region.

Another remarkable contribution made by India to SCO is in the field of startups and innovation. Since 2022, the Special Working Group on Startups and Innovations has been operating within the SCO.

The annual Startup Forums held by the Indian side since 2020 provide unique opportunities for the development of joint projects. I would especially like to note the latest SCO Startup Forum, which was held in New Delhi in March 2024 as part of the Mahakumbh Startup. There were master classes held and exhibition kiosks allowed participants to showcase their innovations.

India has been active in the field of prevention and elimination of emergency situations within the framework of the SCO. We highly appreciate the holding of the last two Meetings of the Heads of Departments of the SCO Member States dealing with the prevention and elimination of emergency situations under the chairmanship of the Indian side in 2019 and 2023. This is a very important mechanism for discussing mechanisms for responding to natural disasters and other emergencies.

At the same time, we see it expedient to consider the possibility of creating an SCO Assistance Fund (it is just a working name) designed to provide humanitarian assistance to Member States and Dialogue Partners in case of emergencies. Such a fund will be able to significantly increase the efficiency of the SCO's work, provide support to the affected countries.

Cooperation in the field of environmental protection in the SCO has yielded significant results, including the creation of a common ecological policy agenda and the expansion of the regulatory framework. In 2024, the Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Ecology and Protection of Environment was signed, and 2025 was declared the SCO Year of Sustainable Development by the Chinese Chairmanship. These efforts reflect H.E. Narendra Modi's call to make the Lifestyle for Environment (Mission Life) movement a key element of the global environmental agenda.

Within the framework of the Organization, the Special Working Group of the SCO Member States on Poverty Reduction, which has been initiated by Pakistani colleague, began its activities in 2023, which is aimed at promoting the implementation of SDG No. 1 – “Eradicate poverty in all its forms everywhere”. In May this year, a Forum on Sustainable Development and Eradication of Poverty will be held in Yangling, China.

It is gratifying that the work of experts in this direction is being carried out, including in the form of fundamental scientific research. Seminars, round tables and forums are held to analyze the causes of poverty.

Cooperation in the field of education is actively developing, and the SCO University, which includes 75 universities from 6 countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China, Russia and Belarus), plays a significant role in this process. We once again invite India to join the SCO University Framework. For the period from 2010 to 2023, more than 1800 students successfully completed master's studies in joint educational programs of the SCO University. It is a virtual network of universities.

An important step towards the further development of cooperation between universities of the SCO Member States was the holding of various educational events, such as Education Weeks, Forums of University Rectors and Forums of Rectors of Civil Service Academies.

In 2025, China will host the XV Education Week of the SCO Member States called "Education Without Borders". We hope that this event will not only become an important milestone in strengthening educational ties, but will also contribute to expanding the list of SCO participants by joining universities from India, Iran, Pakistan and Uzbekistan.

The SCO supports sport events that contribute to strengthening friendship and promoting a healthy lifestyle. In this, the role of India, which since 2018 has been regularly organizing yoga sessions at the headquarters of the Organization, strengthening the sports and spiritual ties between the SCO countries, should be noted.

Cooperation is being strengthened in the field of contacts between people, especially between women and youth, public diplomacy institutes and cultural centers, and the media.

One of the important tools of public diplomacy is the honorary title of "SCO Goodwill Ambassador", the purpose of which is to draw attention to the key tasks and values of the Organization. We hope that India will present its candidacy, for their SCO goodwill Ambassador, which will provide a unique opportunity to learn more about its rich culture, musical heritage and sporting achievements. We are working on improving the Terms and Conditions of the SCO goodwill Ambassadors.

These examples clearly demonstrate India's contribution to the progressive development of cultural and humanitarian cooperation, and I am confident that the Member States will continue to work together to promote mutual understanding between the SCO countries and the development of inter-civilizational dialogue.

I would like to mention that of course security issues are the corner stone of SCO. But we emphasize comprehensive security outlook. Security issues can’t be solved without sustainably addressing socio-economic challenges That is why we have expanded cooperation in SCO into so many different spheres.

Dear Colleagues,

The SCO family is growing steadily, and today includes 2 Observer States and 14 Dialogue Partners. Of these, 8 countries joined in just the last 3 years - from 2022 to 2024. In addition, Member States are actively considering applications from other countries to join the SCO or to upgrade their status in the Organization.

Cooperation with the United Nations occupies a key place in the international activities of the SCO. Our relations with the UN Secretariat and its specialized agencies are strong and multifaceted. UN Secretary General António Guterres noted that the SCO and the UN are the two largest international organizations, praising the role of the SCO in ensuring stability and sustainable development in the region.

In addition, the SCO regularly holds meetings with regional organizations with which partnership relations have been established, including the CSTO, the CIS, the EAEU, the CICA, the ECO and the Arab League. The establishment of official relations with the UNECE, the UNCTAD, the CARICC, the INCB, the UNIDO, the WHO, and the Interpol is under work.

The importance of the "voice of the SCO" in the international arena continues to grow, which is confirmed by the invitation of the SCO to take part in the ASEAN and BRICS summits last year, where the key goals and objectives of the SCO were put forth.

Well, all of this is only a small part of our broad and multifaceted activities aimed at promoting peace and stability.

In the face of rapid global change, it is extremely important that the SCO remains flexible and effective. An important aspect is the implementation of the initiatives of the leaders of the Member States, the creation of a structured and transparent management system, as well as the strengthening of partnerships with Dialogue Partners, Observers and international organizations, the optimization of the legal framework, as well as the strengthening of personnel, financial and linguistic support. All these issues are being discussed under the process of reform and modernization.

In this context, the SCO Forum can play a special role, within the framework of which important initiatives can be considered with the involvement of scientists and experts. This year's chairmanship of the Indian Council of World Affairs in the SCO Forum represents a unique opportunity to develop cooperation between research and political science centres of the SCO Member States, Observers and Dialogue Partners.

I am confident that the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) will make this mechanism a truly effective and effective tool for improving the practical impact of joint efforts.

We express our sincere gratitude to the ICWA for organizing a Program for SCO Resident Researchers. This unique initiative provided young scientists from SCO Member States with the opportunity to spend a month in India, where they met with leading experts and visited academic and research institutions.

The compendium "TOWARDS A SECURE SHANGHAI COOPERATION ORGANIZATION" prepared by the ICWA serves as an example of how to work and represents an important contribution to understanding the prospects, challenges and ways of further development of the Organization. We are confident that similar efforts should be supported by other countries, and we hope that the ICWA will continue this valuable practice.

Dear friends,

The SCO occupies a central place in the system of international relations, being an important tool for strengthening peace and stability. Its potential makes it possible to effectively respond to global challenges and actively promote friendly cooperation.

As you know, China is chairing the SCO this year, choosing the motto of its chairmanship: "Carrying forward the Shanghai Spirit: SCO in Action". It is a very dynamic motto. In total around 200 events will be held this year, including the events of the chairing side and those proposed by other Member States.

I am convinced that the Chair and other Member States will certainly continue to put forward constructive proposals aimed at developing the SCO and strengthening its contribution to global processes. The Secretariat, in turn, will make every effort to bring our cooperation to a new qualitative level, expanding the SCO's participation in regional and international affairs.

We intend to focus our efforts on deepening cooperation with the scientific community, including the Indian Council of World Affairs.

I hope that today's meeting, as the first step in our joint cooperation, will play an important role in the formation of new ideas and proposals, as well as open new horizons for us to strengthen mutual ties.

In conclusion, I would like to once again express my sincere gratitude to everyone for their attention and for the opportunity to speak to you.

Thank you for your attention!

*****