India eyes larger role through SCO membership - CCTV 110617.

At the 10th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, India looked for full membership of the central Asian group. India believes that full membership would garner a stronger position for the SCO. Indian experts say India's membership would help the group in tackle issues like terrorism and Afghanistan.

The Eurasian region is garnering more and more importance and that in turn is has increased the importance of the Shanghai Cooperation group.

India till now has been an observer in the group with Pakistan but now wants a larger role in the form of full membership.

SCO's charter says its main purpose is to strengthen mutual trust, regional peace, security and stability and develop effective co-operation in political affairs, economy, trade, science and technology.

Experts say for this India needs to be inside the Shanghai Cooperation organization.

Uday Bhaskar, Strategic Affairs Expert said "India is better inside the SCO than outside whether as an observer or outside member and I think even for SCO it makes sense for India to be brought on board because if China and Russia want to enhance their credibility in the region and in tackling issues like terrorism and radicalism and in improving the connectivity for trade, the fact that India is going to be the world's one of the three largest economies - in the next 15 or 20 years or whatever is the timeframe would compel or suggest that even for China or Russia who are right now the heavy weights of SCO to bring India on board."

For India the stakes are high. With security concern emanating from fragile situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan, India is aiming at a larger role in the grouping.

Other than security concerns, India also has economic concerns in this region. Economic role come to play with central Asia being an energy hub.

And with India's relation with Pakistan being lukewarm, its essential for the country to make in roads through these kind of groups.

Uday Bhaskar said "India is going to identify those baskets or clusters where it would be able to either advance the agenda of the SCO as a organization or its own national interest issues it needs to either protect or advance. At the level of the collective I would say trade, economy, energy..their are a number of possibilities India should be looking at."

Indian experts say that over the past few years the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has proved to be useful organization. And for India to be part of the organization is essential at this point to help its stability, regional security and energy needs.

India has two main reasons to want to expand its role from being an observer to a member of the SCO - Afghanistan and Pakistan. India believes that Afghanistan could play a bridge in Central Asia and in Pakistan it hopes that through SCO it will be able to tackle terrorism.

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