GOA: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Friday announced new Middle Eastern partners, expanding the group’s political and security membership beyond its original span of China, Russia, India, Pakistan, and most of Central Asia. The announcement was made during a meeting of foreign ministers in India on Friday.
The SCO now counts Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Turkiye, Kuwait, and the UAE among its dialogue partners, while Iran and Belarus have become full members.
Myanmar and Maldives have also joined as two additional dialogue partners. The SCO was formed in 2001 and has been expanding to include India and Pakistan, aiming to counterbalance Western influence in the region.
The recent expansion to include significant Middle Eastern membership is part of an effort to provide an alternative rather than to challenge the West.
For Manish Chand, president of the think tank Center for Global India Insights, the expansion is a positive move, given the complementary energy resources and the dynamic nature of the regions. The SCO is transforming into a significant global player with this increased cooperation with the Middle East.
Shanghai Cooperation Organization expands membership
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which has more than a dozen dialogue partners and observers from Eastern Europe to Southeast Asia, has expanded its membership to include several Middle Eastern countries.
The Middle East’s increasing influence in the bloc is seen as a positive move given the complementarities between the region and SCO countries, particularly in energy and as dynamic, emerging regions.
The SCO’s increasing cooperation with the Middle East is a way of transforming the bloc into a significant global player by expanding its ambit, strengthening it, and giving it greater global weight.
