The previous Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting took place in September in Samarkand, Uzbekistan | Photo: Adda247

India will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s National Security Advisers Meeting today in New Delhi.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a regional organization of nations across Asia, notably Russia, China, Iran, and Pakistan. As a cooperation effort among Eurasian nations, the SCO is an important counterweight for China to leverage its influence outside the global cooperation architecture led by the US and its Western allies. It has been referred to as Eurasia’s answer to NATO.

This years’ meeting will be led by India’s National Security Minister Ajit Doval, India has sought to strike a balance between being critical of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine while seeking to honor its recent commitments to strengthening its partnership with Moscow on a number of issues, including national security. Last month, Doval met with US administration officials to discuss priorities in the US and India’s strategic defense partnership.

Despite the high level of urgency of the issues to be discussed, China and Pakistan may attend remotely, a decision likely influenced by ongoing border tensions with India, an issue that has been a major obstacle in furthering India’s ties with its neighbors. Pakistan’s cooperation on counter terrorism efforts would be highly valuable to India’s security interests. Expect India to continue its non-aligned posture as it seeks to balance its competing bilateral partnerships on key issues.