Shanghai Cooperation organisation

IN NEWS:

• Dr. Harsh Vardhan spoke on India’s novel COVID containment strategy at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Health Minister’s Digital Meet

About SCO

• The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a permanent intergovernmental organization. SCO Charter was signed during the St.Petersburg SCO Heads of State meeting in 2002, and entered into force on 2003.
• Founding members were Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
• The organization has two permanent bodies
  • The SCO Secretariat based in Beijing
  • The Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) based in Tashkent.

Main Goals of SCO

• Strengthening mutual trust and neighborliness among the member states.
• Promoting their effective cooperation in politics, trade, the economy, research, technology and culture, as well as in education, energy, transport, tourism, environmental protection.
• Making joint efforts to maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region.
• Moving towards the establishment of a democratic, fair and rational new international political and economic order.

Members and Partners

• The SCO comprises eight member states
  • India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
• The SCO counts four observer states
  • Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia;
• The SCO has six dialogue partners
  • Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey, and Sri Lanka.

PRELIMS QUESTION

Which of the following countries are members of Shanghai cooperation organization:
1.Mongolia
2.Kyrgyzstan
3.Pakistan
4.Belarus
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a)1,2 and 3 only
(b)2 and 3 only
(c)2,3 and 4 only
(d)1 and 4 only

Answer to prelims question