Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members met at Bishkek the capital of Kirgizstan to deliberate on mutual and bilateral issues concerning the member nations.
PM Modi who is the king of diplomacy and a master diplomat isolated Pak Prime Minister Imran Khan in the regional grouping by his articulate mentioning of terrorism as a global scourge and the need to jointly fight this menace. PM Modi addressed the plenary session of SCO Summit today on 14th of June at Bishkek. Earlier on 13th of June PM of India attended the SCO meeting. He also held bilateral meetings with presidents of China and Russia.
Modi held bilateral meetings with the President of China and Russia at Kyrgyzstan capital Bishkek on the evening of Thursday. The talks were held on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization – SCO Summit on Thursday. Prime Minister Modi has said, “He had a fruitful meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The talks included a full spectrum of bilateral issues.” He had a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the vast subject of bilateral issues. Narendra Modi had a full-aside meeting with President Alexander Lukas Henko of Belarus on the margins of SCO Summit.
The two countries share the common goals of development and cooperation in the region. PM Modi on Thursday arrived here in Kyrgyz capital for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit, the first multilateral engagement post his re-election.
Presently it is the 19th meeting of SCO which is taking place at Bishkek to discuss the regional and bilateral issues concerning the member states. The summit discussed the global security situation, multilateral economic cooperation, people to people exchange and topical issues of international and regional importance. Modi before his arrival at Bishkek said we attach special importance to SCO in promoting multilateral, political, security, economic and people to people interaction.
India has actively participated in various SCO dialogue mechanisms since its full membership of SCO two years ago. The SCO Summit was followed by a bilateral component of the visit to the Kyrgyz Republic. Modi had delegation level talks with President Jeenbankov and has jointly inaugurated the India – Kyrgyz Business Forum with Kyrgyz President.
Interestingly there was no meeting between Indian PM Modi and his Pakistan counterpart Imran Khan on the sidelines of SCO meeting in Bishkek. Apart from SCO summit at Bishkek, Modi will also be on Kyrgyz official visit after the conclusion of SCO Summit. Modi said India and Kyrgyz republic bound by historical and civilizational links share traditionally warm and friendly relations.
“In recent times our relations have expanded in several areas of bilateral engagement including defence, security, trade and investment. “ President Jeenbekov of Kyrgyz and PM Modi addressed jointly the first meeting of India – Kyrgyz Business Forum. Modi said I am confident that my visit to the Kyrgyz Republic will further strengthen and consolidate our cooperation with SCO member countries and with the Kyrgyz Republic. Modi thanked Chinese President Xi Jinping for accepting the invitation to visit India. Modi meets leaders of the member states. PM Modi was the first leader to arrive at Bishkek. SCO is china led 8 member security bloc with India and Pakistan were admitted to the grouping in 2017.
PM Modi said there is a need for better economic ties with SCO nations. On the sidelines of the Summit PM Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President XI Jinping and Afghanistan President. Earlier, SCO Summit kicks off in Bishkek. All eyes were on India and Pakistan but there was no thaw in India – Pak relations as the two leaders did not meet at Bishkek.
The heads of SCO Countries descended on Bishkek for the groupings 19th conference on June, 14. In recent years the big drama of SCO was its expansion to include India and Pakistan. It was in 2017 after years of dithering and delay that India and Pakistan were finally formally made members of SCO.
As Casey Micheal wrote for the Diplomat at the time, “the inclusion of both India and Pakistan will not only expand SCOs geographical writ, pushing it that much closer to a Pan Asian forum but with India’s inclusion SCO suddenly finds itself with that much more geopolitical heft.”
The perpetual tumult of India-Pakistan relations was a concern for regional observers. Will the SCOs Shanghai put – mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations and pursuit of common development”? AS the Chinese put it thrive if some of its members are on the edge of conflict with regularity. The answer is yes. The most obvious friction points are between India and Pakistan with relations hitting a low earlier this year due to the Pulwama attack.
The subsequent Indian air strikes, the downing of Indian air force Jet and the surprising of ramp taken in the form of Pakistan returning a captured Indian pilot – it is not surprising newly reaffirmed Indian PM Modi and his Pakistan counterpart Imran Khan did not meet in the sidelines of Bishkek Summit. Modi even avoided Pak air space entirely, flying via omen and Iran to get to Kyrgyzstan even though Pakistan has agreed to give Modi its air space.
This is a clear indication to Pakistan PM that India does not approve of Pakistan’s double speak and deceit. The two leaders also did not meet in the sidelines of Bishkek SCO Summit and therefore no ice was broken in the strained relations between the two countries. However, it is good and that the two leaders, later on, exchanged pleasantries. India has made it clear at Bishkek as well that no talks can be held with Pakistan until that country stops exporting terror to India and also keeping its soil free from terrorist training camps.
In fact, Modi has warmly met and hugged regional leaders and heads of member states. Modi hugged Vladimir Putin of Russia and Xi Jinping of China and Pakistan was sidelined and it is a slap on the face of Pakistan as Pakistan was isolated and sidelined while India’s position got an elevation in the SCO Summit and in the sideline meetings. Sooner or later Pakistan will have to stop its terror factories and also have to cease transportation of terror to India especially J&K.
Pak PM Imran Khan has made certain overtures and offer of talks while keeping terrorism intact in that country and thus its offer of talks was not responded by India because it is a stated position of India that terror and talks cannot go together. India has asked China that it cannot talk to Pakistan unless that country stops sending terrorist to India. Therefore Pakistan should shun terrorism in order to initiate any meaningful dialogue with India.
Back to SCO Summit the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for regional cooperation to eradicate the menace of terrorism from the world and sought the cooperation of the regional grouping to fight terrorism jointly. He has said this while addressing the plenary session of the SCO Summit in Bishkek and his efforts were appreciated by the member countries of SCO. SCO Summit is a welcome development for the regional security, economic and political issues of bilateral and multilateral nature. Long live SCO.
(The writer is a columnist and a social activist)
Omkar Dattatray
