10 Years On, SCO Decides to Induct India as Full Member

India and Pakistan will be full members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, joining China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Membership will allow both two members to access more energy from Central Asia, reports Anil Sasi for the Indian Express. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded with an offer to work with the six-member grouping to enhance connectivity, combat terror and create an environment for boosting trade by easing barriers,” Sasi writes. SCO is counting on India and Pakistan to put aside their ongoing rivalry for the good of the region. The SCO website notes that the main goals are “strengthening mutual confidence and good-neighbourly relations among the member countries; promoting effective cooperation in politics, trade and economy, science and technology, culture as well as education, energy, transportation, tourism, environmental protection and other fields; making joint efforts to maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region, moving towards the establishment of a new, democratic, just and rational political and economic international order.” – YaleGlobal