New Delhi: India attended the 12th meeting of the heads of border services of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) hosted in Islamabad Friday under Pakistan’s chairmanship.
“The meeting was attended by the heads and representatives of the border services of the competent authorities of the Republic of Belarus, Republic of India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Kazakhstan, People’s Republic of China, Kyrgyz Republic, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Russian Federation, Republic of Tajikistan, Republic of Uzbekistan and the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS),” the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The representatives approved the results of the Joint Border Operation ‘Solidarity-2025’ conducted by the border forces of the SCO member-states and agreed the plan for this year’s border operation.
“The participants noted that the exchange of views and development of common positions on countering new challenges and threats along the borders of the SCO Member States would contribute to further strengthening cooperation among their border services, while enhancing security and mutual trust along their shared borders,” the Pakistani statement added.
Islamabad is the incoming chair of the 10-member organisation that includes India, China, Russia, Iran, Belarus and the Central Asian states excluding Turkmenistan. Islamabad will take over as chair of the SCO from 1 September, until 31 August 2027, during which period it will host the Heads of States summit.
India held the SCO chairmanship in 2023. While ties between India and Pakistan remain limited, New Delhi has continued to attend all meetings related to the organisation. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar attended the Heads of Government meeting of the SCO in Pakistan in October 2024.
The grouping has a strong focus on anti-terrorism cooperation, with the permanent Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), one of the two main organs of the organisation.
India and Pakistan both joined the SCO in 2017. The main summit of the Heads of States will be held in Bishkek, the capital city of the Kyrgyz Republic next month. Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi travelled to the Chinese city of Tianjin to attend the SCO summit, and also held a bilateral meeting with President Xi Jinping on the margins of the summit.
The organisation was originally formed in 2001, after resolution of border disputes between China and its Central Asian neighbours. The SCO is headquartered in Beijing, while the RATS operates from the Uzbek capital of Tashkent.
India and Pakistan both formally joined the organisation at the 2017 Astana summit. The SCO has since expanded to include both Iran and Belarus as members in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
At the Tianjin summit in 2025, the SCO also agreed to establish a universal centre for countering security challenges and threats, as well as an anti-drug centre.
A meeting of the expert group regarding the establishment of the anti-drug centre also took place Friday in a hybrid format in Beijing.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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