SCO Backs India On Terrorism Which Has Less Salience

The Bishkek summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has wound up with a strong declaration combining some new and not so new elements.

India’s Prime Minister Modi as expected made a carefully calibrated statement with the focus on fighting terrorism, even China’s Xi Jinping said something similar although his focus would have been elsewhere, likely Xinjiang.

So what is the big takeaway from the summit for India? Skand Tayal, India’s former ambassador to Uzbekistan, told StratNewsGlobal on The Gist that “whatever language perhaps we wanted has been included in the Bishkek Declaration.”

But he also underscored that  “As far as the other countries of SCO are concerned, the salience of terrorism is no longer what it was a few years back. And Afghanistan has fallen under Taliban rule but they, it seems, have stopped exporting or giving sanctuary to those groups which were harming, let us say Tajikistan or India. So the world has changed, world has evolved.”

India is seen as a well-wisher in Central Asia, a dependable partner visible in the IT training centres that it set up in the region, and as a credible supplier of pharma goods.  But they also want investment, connectivity and access to markets in India that at present is difficult given Pakistan’s stance.

“Pakistan has its own game to play,” Ambassador Tayal said, “so that is not likely to happen. And the Chinese have zero interest in giving India connectivity to Central Asia.  That’s why the attempt to have the international North-South Transport Corridor through Iran and the port of Chahbahar.”

Tayal underscored the need for India to remain engaged in Central Asia through the SCO.  As a platform, the SCO enables India to talk to its Central Asian partners, discuss common concerns and provide help where it can.

The SCO is no longer  dominated by China with the Central Asians forging links outside of the region. There was even a summit with Donald Trump, so the Central Asians are clear they will deal with the world on their terms.

Tune in for the interview with Ambassador Skand Tayal on the SCO summit.