Shanghai Co-operation Organization

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organization composed of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan founded in Shanghai in 2001. 

• Originally formed as a confidence-building forum to demilitarize borders, the organization's goals and agenda have since broadened to include increased military and counterterrism cooperation and intelligence sharing. 
•  The SCO has also intensified its focus on regional economic initiatives like the recently announced integration of the China-led Silk Road Economic Belt and the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union.
• Except for Uzbekistan, the other countries had been members of the Shanghai Five, founded in 1996; after the inclusion of Uzbekistan in 2001, the members renamed the organisation.

Structure:-  

• The SCO has two permanent headquarters, the Secretariat in Beijing and the "Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS)" in Tashkent, the Uzbek capital. 
• One of the organization's primary objectives is promoting cooperation on security-related issues, namely to combat the "three evils" of terrorism, separatism, and extremism. 
• The organization adopts decisions made by consensus, and all member states must uphold the core principle of non-aggression and non-interference in internal affairs.

• It was initially focused on Central Asia.
• It has Afghanistan and Iran with observer status. 
• India & Pakistan has got full membership in 2015 with formalities pending. 
• Turkey and Belarus as dialogue partners.
• It has collaborated through MoUs with Eurasian Countries.
• SCO is an important organization for Afghanistan Issue (to find solution)

Aims :-

1. Economic Development 
2. Close Political Co-operation

(Central Asia is landlocked and has no access to the world's market)

In last conference , SCO opened itself for membership and laid down guidelines.

# Last year India announced its central Asia policy named as Connect Central Asia.