Neighbourhood concerns

Although little was expected at the Council of Foreign Ministers, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), in Goa on Friday, the events that transpired do not raise much hope for India’s presidency of this important regional political organisation. The principal objective of the Goa meeting was to prepare for the upcoming SCO Heads of State summit in July. The agenda is a consequential one, taking place in the second year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, counter-terrorism concerns, especially in Afghanistan, and settling trade in national currencies, which is a critical development, given growing western sanctions on Russian crude oil. The SCO presidency is also important for India because it underlines the adroit diplomatic balancing act it maintains between its US-led alliance, continuing