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SCO: CJI highlights tech incorporation in judicial system

CJI DY Chandrachud highlighted that the incorporation of technology in the Indian judicial system has made judicial institutions more accessible for all its citizens…reports Asian Lite News

Eighteenth meeting of Chief Justices and Chairpersons of the Supreme Courts of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Member States was held here under the Presidency of Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud on 10 and 11 March. The aim was to foster effective judicial cooperation among the Member States.

It was a two-day Joint interaction session wherein all SCO member states, two observer states (the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Belarus), the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS) and the SCO Secretariat had taken part physically except Pakistan who joined through video conference. On March 10, a Joint Interaction Session was held which included a brief description of the Judicial System followed in SCO Member and Observer states, as well as the challenges faced and measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The speakers included CJI DY Chandrachud, Kazakhastan SC Chairman Aslambek Mergaliyev, Vice President of SC of China Jinghong Gao, Kyrgyz Republic SC Chairman Zamirbek Bazarbekov, Pakistan Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Russian Chief Justice Vyacheslav M. Lebedev, Belarus SC Dy Chairman Valery Kalinkovich, Dy Chairman of Judiciary head of Iran Mohammad Mosaddegh Kahnamoee, Deputy Secretary General SCO Secretariat Janesh Kain and Rakesh Kumar Verma, Deputy Director, Executive Committee, RATS, SCO.

Justice DY Chandrachud initiated the joint session by giving a brief overview of India’s Judicial system. He shared the challenges faced by the Judicial institution during the COVID-19 pandemic, CJI focussed on the measures such as the adoption of technology for virtual hearings, live streaming of court proceedings, and e-filing undertaken by the Indian Judiciary to ensure access to justice.

He highlighted that the incorporation of technology in the Indian judicial system has made judicial institutions more accessible for all its citizens. The Heads of Judiciaries attending the Meeting also shared the functioning of their Judicial systems and challenges faced and the innovative measures taken by their Judiciaries to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the second day, 11th March, the discussion moved on to the first topic of discussion on “Smart Courts” and the future of the Judiciary.

CJI, while addressing the delegates, discussed India’s smart court initiatives. CJI stressed that the judicial system must ensure that timely and effective justice is delivered to all citizens, regardless of their location or socio-economic status. He said that technology must be used to bridge the gap between citizens and the justice system. He shared that the “Smart Court” initiatives focused on simplifying procedures and increasing access for citizens to the justice delivery system through digital infrastructure.

He shared the recent endeavours made by the Supreme Court of India such as the launching of the e-version of Supreme Court Reports, AI-based live transcription of court proceedings and translation of judgments in multiple regional languages among others.

Participating in the discussion, Nail Akhmetzakirov, Head of the Court Administration of Kazakhstan highlighted that the introduction of technology in their judicial facilities had made court proceedings easy. He added that Kazakhstan has developed new software post-COVID-19 menace in order to make the electronic system in judicial services more accessible.

Rakhat Karimova, Judge of Kyrgyz Republic informed the delegates that the Judicial system of the Kyrgyz Republic is focused on just and effective measures for the interest of the people at large. He highlighted that the judiciary during and post-COVID-19 pandemic has been transitioning to the electronic system with the digitalization of all enforcement bodies. Believing that AI is the step to the future, Karimova stated that their judiciary is adopting new technologies which will expedite trials, and will also ensure the fulfilment of the duties by the judges by means of easy monitoring mechanisms, ensuring justice in real means.

The second topic of discussion was Facilitating “Access to Justice” (Justice should not be limited to privileged): issues, initiative, and prospects, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Judge Supreme Court of India, highlighted the importance of Access to Justice. He raised concerns regarding overly populated prisons by undertrials. He particularly emphasized that the issue of access to quality legal representation is a critical element in the criminal justice system.

He stressed the several mechanisms adopted by the Courts to resolve the problem of Access to Justice from both ends. First, while empowering citizens to actualize their rights under the Constitution of India and International Human Rights Law and second, by reforming the Criminal Justice machinery to protect the most vulnerable.

Participating in the discussion Xiaochen Qiann, Chief Judge of the case-filing division of the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China, added that it was of prime importance for the growth of the judiciary that modern public judicial services are built, featuring inclusiveness, equity, convenience, efficiency, intelligence and accuracy. He stressed that the court work overload and limited judicial resources are a global challenge which needs to be addressed both nationally and collectively as members of SCO.

Vyacheslav M Lebedev, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Russia highlighted that several laws had been created to protect the citizens including the system of claims, which can be filed by the plaintiffs at their own place of residence, allowing remote participation in court sessions, notifications via SMS regarding time and place of trial and availability of information regarding working of the court.

The third topic of discussion “Institutional Challenges facing Judiciary: Delays, Infrastructure, Representation, and Transparency”, Justice K. M. Joseph, Judge Supreme Court of India, highlighted the issue of high pendency of cases and the need for adequate infrastructure facilities as a means to Access to Justice.

Justice Joseph raised concern about the infrastructure gap between the Court halls and Residential Units in the District Judiciary. He also added that additional courts need to be projected to efficiently deal with the pending & freshly instituted cases and concluded by adding that progress is necessary to ensure India has an efficient, open and fair Judicial System. The participant also shared the common institutional challenges faced by the Judiciaries.

The two-day session involved joint interaction sessions, witnessing discussions on various important themes with the Chief Justices/ Chairpersons/ Judges from Member States/ Observer States and members of the SCO Secretariat and SCO RATS, and concluded with the signing of a joint statement.

The intention to strengthen and expand cooperation among the Supreme Courts of the SCO Member States and to promote the use of technology to enhance the efficiency of the judicial system and Access to Justice were deliberated upon during the course of the meeting.

In his closing address, Justice D Y Chandrachud stressed upon the need to collectively adopt new mechanisms to make court processes simpler and more accessible. He stressed that the SCO member states should strive for judicial cooperation in order to make the judicial system more approachable to the common people.

He highlighted several challenges facing the judicial systems in the SCO Member States and how this conference allowed all member and observer state to reflect upon the challenges that are common to their jurisdictions.

He emphasized that these issues need to be tackled with mutual cooperation and by sharing experiences and wisdom gathered. Whilst agreeing on a number of shared goals for the future of the judiciary of respective countries at the closure, Uzbekistan has collectively entrusted the presidency for the next meeting of Chief Justices/ Chairmans on the rotation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization for the year 2024. (ANI)

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Pakistan’s Chief Justice to skip SCO meet

Umar Ata Bandial(twitter)

India is the current president of the SCO, which also comprises China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan…reports Asian Lite News

Pakistan on Thursday announced it’s decision to skip the meeting of Chief Justices of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) scheduled in New Delhi from March 10-12.

“As one of the active members of the SCO, Pakistan regularly participates in all SCO activities and constructively contributes to their outcomes,” Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement. Pakistan is the only country now that will be skipping the SCO Chief Justice meet hosted by India. All other members, including new member, Iran will be attending the meeting in person.

“Due to his unavoidable commitments on the scheduled meeting dates, the Honourable Chief Justice of Pakistan will not be able to participate in the SCO meeting of the Chief Justices of the Supreme Courts scheduled from 10-12 March, 2023. He has accordingly conveyed his regrets to his Indian counterpart, who is the current chair/host of the meeting,” the statement added.

India extended the invitation to the Pakistani chief justice, but Islamabad took the decision at the last minute about the country’s top adjudicator.

India is the current president of the SCO, which also comprises China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

As president of the regional forum, India is set to host a series of events, including the meeting of chief justices of the member states.

Though the Foreign Office statement cited unavoidable commitments of the chief justice, observers believe that the current state of the relationship between Pakistan and India played a part in Islamabad’s decision.

India has also invited Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for the SCO foreign ministers meeting to be held in Goa in May this year. Pakistan has yet to decide whether the foreign minister will attend.

“Regarding participation in the upcoming SCO Council of Foreign Ministers, as I have said earlier, the matter is under consideration and, as and when this decision is taken, we will share it with everyone,” she told reporters at the weekly news briefing.

India will also host the SCO summit meeting this year. It remains to be seen whether Pakistan will send its foreign minister in May or if the prime minister will join the SCO leaders later in India.

Relations between the two countries have been precarious for many years with regard to issues of cross-border terrorism from Pakistan, even as Islamabad has been seeking the restoration of Article 370 for the former Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir for any talks. (ANI)

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Rs 590 cr trade interest generated at SCO B2B meet

More than 56 exhibitors – who participated in the expo – and buyers from 19 countries discussed and expressed their interest in trade in traditional medicine…reports Asian Lite News

The first “SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) B2B Conference and Expo on Traditional Medicine”, which concluded here on Sunday, created a platform for buyers and sellers from different countries to explore trade potential to serve the needs of the people.

An incremental trade interest of over Rs 590 crore was generated during intense meetings among the buyers and sellers at the conference.

This first-of-its-kind conference and expo under the SCO initiative was inaugurated by Union Ayush minister Sarbananda  Sonowal on March 2 here.

More than 150 delegates from 17 countries attended the two-day conference and four-day expo.

“It is a moment of great realisation that this wonderful initiative has borne fruit with trade interest of more than Rs 590 crore generated during the event. While this marks the immediate success of the expo, the conference also laid the foundation for further interaction and expansion of cooperation among the states under the SCO initiative,” Union Minister Sonowal said.

“I must thank the Prime Minister at this point as his vision brought this concept of expanding the horizon of traditional medicine among the member states of SCO, leading to the event’s successful hosting,” he said.

“While the scope of trade in the Ayush market remains buoyant, the event helped expand its horizon to a wider international audience with a noble aim to provide an enriched quality of life with the help of traditional medicine. This is a huge shot in the arm for the Indian Ayush market as this event provided the platform to further the trade potential among the SCO member states for improving the quality of lives of people,” the minister said.

Under the aegis of the Ministry of Ayush, Invest India conducted B2B meetings in a dedicated B2B lounge at the event with the support of Ayushexcil (Ayush Export Promotion Council).

More than 56 exhibitors – who participated in the expo – and buyers from 19 countries discussed and expressed their interest in trade in traditional medicine.

Over 50 one-to-one meetings between buyers and sellers were conducted on the first day of the conference. Among the spectrum of traditional medicinal products, maximum interest was seen in product categories such as Ayurvedic medicine, herbal nutraceuticals, Ayurvedic cosmetics, etc.

Over 75 meetings took place on the second day of the event with participants from India, Tajikistan, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Bahrain and Sri Lanka.

The trade interest of Rs 590 crore was received in the B2B meetings from companies such as Damaira Pharma, AIMIL Global, Herbal Strategi Homecare, Almaty, Dindayal Industries and Fidalgo Healthcare among others.

The interest was received across product categories such as Ayurvedic gel and oil, capsules, Ayurvedic hair remedy products, nutraceuticals, Ayurvedic home care and hygiene and veterinary products. The industry received as many as nine Letters of Intent.

Speaking about India’s commitment to promoting traditional healthcare systems, the Union Minister said, “India remains deeply invested in promoting evidence-based traditional healthcare systems with a rich heritage of patient care for thousands of years. The establishment of the WHO Global Centre of Traditional Medicine in Jamnagar is a step in this direction.”

The B2B conference witnessed detailed presentations and deliberations from SCO and partner countries on “Regulatory Framework for Traditional Medicine”, products and practices, including pharmacopoeia, quality assurance and research.

There was deliberation on how to promote traditional medicine. Sessions like ‘Know your buyer’ and ‘B2B meetings’ for discussing specific product-wise, export and import opportunities and deeper economic partnerships helped garner interest for market access across SCO countries.

The event aimed to unlock trade opportunities in traditional medicine amongst SCO and partner countries.

The discussions aimed at understanding trade patterns and market scenarios from pharma and drug manufacturers’ points of view.

Speaking about the scope of the trade from Assam and Northeast India, the Ayush minister said, “With the successful end of this first-of-its-kind SCO Conference on traditional medicine, we have a unique opportunity in our hands to step up and deliver to the huge market access that the expo has created. Given the region’s rich biodiversity, it is important for our entrepreneurs to build on to the discussions at the event and take the opportunity to the next level.”

“The huge potential of medicinal plants in the region has always been underlined. The expo provided the much sought global exposure and the springboard of success for our local agri-prenuers and traditional medicine practitioners,” he said.

The Ministry of Ayush has been working on various initiatives under the SCO mandate. In February this year, a virtual conference of experts and practitioners of traditional medicine was organised where experts from 25 countries of SCO participated. The draft terms of reference of the Expert Working Group on Traditional Medicine was approved during a meeting of experts held in New Delhi last month.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), or Shanghai Pact, is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance of an eight-member multilateral organisation, established in June 2001 in Shanghai, China.

SCO includes eight member states, three observers and 14 dialogue partner countries. India was granted observer status at the July 2005 Astana Summit and the status of a full member on June 9, 2017, at the SCO Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The draft approved at the expert level will now be subjected to other respective country administrative procedures and finally adopted at the Head of the States Summit. 

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India’s SCO Presidency aims for regional prosperity

The presidency also reflects upon India’s bid to gain international legitimacy that can elevate India to be situated in decision-making bodies in global governance….reports Asian Lite News

India’s Presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) comes at a time when the global economy is facing significant challenges due to various prevailing issues.

India’s SCO Presidency also come at a time when the global landscape is facing newer challenges such as the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic along with the changing geopolitical scenarios that are rapidly shifting in the region. India’s Presidency under these circumstances aims to further enhance its standing in the region and also at the same time promote the overall interests of the members involved in areas such as trade and energy security.

The rotational presidency which remains with India until September 2023, also, however, presents New Delhi with some opportunities to explore its global ambitions.

Firstly, it poses an opportunity for India to renew its bilateral relationship with countries situated in Central Asia including Kazakhstan with which India shares a cordial bilateral history.

One of the main drivers of the India-Kazakhstan relationship has been their shared interest in regional stability and economic development. Both countries have worked closely since their official ties back in 1992 took shape.

The two countries have also been working closely to enhance their political and cultural ties with India supporting Kazakhstan’s efforts to promote regional stability as well as its bid to enhance democratic endeavours across the region.

Moreover, India has also provided technical assistance in areas such as election monitoring and capacity building in order to expand upon their bilateral relations.

The two countries have also been working to promote cultural exchange with regular cultural and artistic exchanges taking place between the two.

These mutual admirations for certain values should be capitalized upon during India’s Presidency as well to be able to fully utilise the presidency to its maximum effect in such a manner that elevates not only bilateral ties but also enables regional development.

The mutual interest between both the countries as well as with the other members must be utilised to its full potential in promoting regional integration and cooperation through the SCO grouping.

Secondly, in India’s endeavour to lead the global world, its focus has majorly relied on advocating regional development through such multilateral platforms.

Its regional agendas have laid emphasis on the climate crisis as well as mitigation against climate change. More so, India has also been conducting meetings regarding the advents of facing environmental concerns arising from such rapid alterations in the climate along with proposing unified responses.

It has also been emphasizing the need for taking strong and decisive action to address the global climate crisis, with a particular focus on the role of renewable energy and green technologies.

The presidency also reflects upon India’s bid to gain international legitimacy that can elevate India to be situated in decision-making bodies in global governance.

Such international grouping and its presidencies provide the right opportunity to showcase its leadership prospects especially given the need for consensus among all major countries in mitigating challenges that are only increasing.

Apart from its initiatives that enhance the grouping’s priorities, India’s central focus in the SCO’s platform has also remained on the region’s security prospects.

New Delhi has on various occasions aimed to strengthen the region by promoting the cooperation of the region specifically pertaining to sectors such as security and trade.

Among the key priorities for India during its presidency has been to expand the cooperation to include mechanisms that could enhance security ties.

Terrorism is a domain that has caused significant obstacles for all of the member states of the SCO, India in this bid has been initiating counter-terrorism channels to upgrade the priorities of the grouping above and over a regional pact focusing on trade and development.

As part of this endeavour, India has been advocating for the urgent need to tackle the root causes of terrorism such as poverty, inequality and lack of education. This has also presented its presidency with the opportunity to integrate these issues with those that are already on its agenda such as integrating development through trade and economic prosperity.

This has thus also led New Delhi to invariably emphasize upon the need for greater regional integration and increased trade and investment among SCO member states.

India has also called for greater cooperation on infrastructure development, energy, and connectivity to enhance regional economic growth and prosperity which on its part could significantly reduce the security issues faced by the member-states of the SCO grouping.

India’s SCO Presidency has also been marked by its emphasis on cultural and people-to-people exchanges. The country has proposed a number of initiatives aimed at promoting cultural and educational exchanges among SCO member states, with a view of promoting greater understanding among the region’s diverse cultures.

As part of its presidency, India has been demonstrating its commitment to enhancing cooperation in the region along with all its member states.

The focus on cooperating in the domains of energy, infrastructural development, environmental sustainability as well as regional security is a marker of its long-standing leadership role in the region and also presents the opportunity to further connect with its region, especially in times of crisis which has the potential to cause serious repercussions for the overall global economy.

Moreover, its presidency of both the G20 and the SCO is a great reminder of India’s growing influence not only in its own region but globally. The fact that this opportunity is being utilised to its maximum effect is a testimony to its growing influential role in the global arena and should be made the most out of as far as India’s diplomatic outlook is concerned.

Notably, the addition of India and Pakistan to the SCO expanded the grouping to represent around 40 per cent of the total population and 30 per cent of the world’s GDP share in 2017.

The group includes countries such as China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, and Pakistan and covers over 60 per cent of the Eurasian landmass.

In 2022, India assumed the presidency of the SCO, marking a significant milestone in the country’s role in regional cooperation and its endeavour of advocating for an integrated neighbourhood. (ANI)

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Pakistan yet to decide on India’s invitation for SCO meet

New York, Dec 15 (ANI): Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari speaks at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) debate on New Orientation for Reformed Multilateralism, in New York on Wednesday. (ANI Photo)

The invitation includes invites to the new Foreign Minister of China Qin Gang and Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto…reports Asian Lite News

Pakistan on Thursday said that it is yet to decide on India’s invite to Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Goa from May.

“Pakistan and India are members of SCO. India is holding the chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of State for 2022-2023. These invitations are being processed as per standard procedures and a decision will be taken in due course,” said Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson. India has invited Pakistan’s foreign minister to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting scheduled to take place on May 4-5, 2023 in Goa.

SCO is an important transregional organization that aims to strengthen economic linkages and cooperation among its Member States in different fields. Every year, SCO develops a calendar of activities, which include the Meeting of the Foreign Ministers,” added the spokesperson.

India has formally sent invitations to all members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) including Pakistan and China for the upcoming foreign ministers’ meeting which will be held in Goa from May 4-5.

The invitation includes invites to the new Foreign Minister of China Qin Gang and Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto.

India took over the chairmanship of the 9-member mega grouping in September last year and will be holding key ministerial meetings and the summit this year.

Relations between the two countries have been precarious for many years with regard to issues of cross-border terrorism from Pakistan, even as Islamabad has been seeking the restoration of Article 370 for the former Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir for any talks.

Besides, FM Bilawal’s remarks at the United Nations (UN) last month on PM Modi have cast a shadow over any improvement in ties between the two countries.

The 20-year-old organization has Russia, India, China, Pakistan, and four central Asian countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan as its members.

Iran is the latest country to become a member and under Indian Presidency will for the first time attend the grouping’s meeting as a full-fledged member.

The last meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Samarkand in Uzbekistan to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit. The 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO is the first in-person summit since 2019.

Notably, this year’s SCO foreign ministers meeting comes in the wake-up of escalating Russia-Ukraine war and India’s G20 Presidency. (ANI)

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India invites Pak Chief Justice, Foreign Minister for SCO meetings

India currently holds the presidency of the SCO…reports Asian Lite News

India has invited Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Atta Bandial and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to attend meetings of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) that also includes Russia and China, a media report said.

India currently holds the presidency of the SCO which comprises Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran and Central Asian States, The Express Tribune reported.

As president of the SCO, New Delhi is set to host a series of events, including a conference of the chief justices of member states, meeting of the foreign ministers and a summit in 2023.

The meeting of Chief Justices of the SCO is scheduled for March while the Foreign Ministers will meet in May.

Official sources confirmed to The Express Tribune on Monday that India shared the invitations with Pakistan for the Chief Justice and Foreign Minister.

It is, however, not clear whether the Chief Justice and the Foreign Minister will attend both the events or depute someone to represent Pakistan.

Pakistan hasn’t yet responded to the Indian invite, according to sources.

Given the SCO is an important forum because of the presence of China and Russia, Pakistan is unlikely to stay out of the events, reports The Express Tribune.

Both Pakistan and India were accepted as full members of the influential organisation a few years back after they committed not to undermine the SCO work because of their bilateral disputes.

The meeting of the SCO Foreign Ministers is due to take place in Goa, Express Tribune reported.

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At SCO meet, Jaishankar takes aim at China’s BRI

India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar speaks at a news conference in New York on Saturday, September 24, 2022. (Photo: Arul Louis/IANS)

Jaishankar said better connectivity will unlock the economic potential of the SCO region, and in this, Iran’s Chabahar port and the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) “could become enablers”…reports Asian Lite News

Connectivity projects in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) region should focus on the interests of Central Asian states and respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday in an apparent swipe at China.

Jaishankar made the remarks while representing India in a virtual meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government that was held to shape the grouping’s trade and economic agenda. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang hosted the meeting since the Council of Heads of Government is chaired by China.

India was the only SCO member state that did not reaffirm support for China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in a joint communique issued after the meeting.

In a set of tweets, Jaishankar said he underlined the need for “better connectivity in the SCO region built on centrality of interests of Central Asian states”. He added: “Connectivity projects should respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Member States and respect international law.”

Though Jaishankar didn’t refer to any country in his remarks, India has for long opposed the BRI because a key part of it – the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) – passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. India was among the few countries that didn’t sign up for BRI and Indian officials have said Chinese connectivity initiatives do not offer a level playing field for non-Chinese firms.

The joint communique said Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan had backed the BRI and “work to jointly implement this project”, including efforts to link the Eurasian Economic Union and BRI.

Jaishankar said better connectivity will unlock the economic potential of the SCO region, and in this, Iran’s Chabahar port and the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) “could become enablers”.

“Our total trade with SCO Members is only $141 billion, which has potential to increase manifold. Fair market access is to our mutual benefit and only way to move forward,” he said, while reiterating India’s commitment to deepen multilateral cooperation in areas such as food and energy security, climate change and trade.

India has developed a terminal at Chabahar port and there are plans to integrate the strategic port with INSTC. The port has also played a key role in the trans-shipment of goods from Russia to India following the start of the Ukraine war.

Jaishankar also spoke about Mission LiFE (Lifestyle For Environment) launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which “envisions replacing the prevalent ‘use and dispose’ economy by a circular economy”. He highlighted that in 2023, the UN International Year of Millets, India intends to foster greater cooperation with SCO member states on countering the food crisis.

He appreciated the condolences expressed by various countries at the loss of lives in the Morbi bridge tragedy in Gujarat.

“Look forward to India’s ongoing chairship of the SCO,” Jaishankar said, referring to India assuming the chairmanship of the grouping following the summit held in Uzbekistan in September.

The SCO countries backed the deepening of interaction in digital economy and digital technologies to ensure inclusive economic growth, according to the joint communique. They also noted that in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, e-commerce is of great significance for economic development and increasing employment.

This was the first meeting of the SCO since India took over the bloc’s rotating presidency. Jaishankar had also represented the country at the last meeting of the Council of Heads of Government in Kazakhstan in November last year. The meeting focuses on the trade and economic agenda of the SCO and approves the grouping’s annual budget.

The meeting was attended by the eight SCO member states – India, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – and observer states such as Iran. The SCO secretary general, executive director of the SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), Turkmenistan and other invited guests also participated.

India will host the SCO Summit in mid-2023, months ahead of hosting the G20 Summit in New Delhi in September next year.

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At SCO, Xi and Modi differed over their views on Ukraine

Given their record of mistaking what they wish for as what is, Atlanticist media immediately reached the conclusion that Xi’s concerns were the same as Modi’s, writes Prof. Madhav Das Nalapat

Months before he initiated the Special Military Operation (aka war) against Ukraine, Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin came to Delhi on a visit that barely lasted nine hours. Even during that brief period, it became clear that Putin was losing patience at the way in which the Ukrainian military and irregular “nationalist” groups such as the Azov Regiment were taking kinetic action against those parts of Ukraine that had broken away to form the Donetsk and Lugansk “republics”.

Such activities were being backed by NATO, which since 2014 had been conducting a proxy war against Russia, through the generous provisions of training, intelligence, weapons and other battlefield requisites to Ukrainian forces. Together with what may be called either mercenaries or “guest fighters” from parts of Europe, Ukrainian units sought to win back the territory lost to Russian-speaking separatists in 2014, the year that saw the forced exit and exile of President Viktor Yanukovych. The disquiet over developments in Ukraine manifested by Putin during his nine-hour 2021 visit to Delhi was interpreted in Washington, London, Berlin and Paris as evidence that his confidence was getting shaky.

Rather than hold back the Ukrainian forces from their assault on the newly declared Lugansk and Donbass republics, they were encouraged to deliver blow after blow, with artillery shelling and military probes into Russian-speaking territories multiplying as a consequence of the misreading  within NATO of Putin’s determination to not repeat his earlier example of doing little when Kosovo was formally detached from Serbia in 2008. That same year, Putin launched a military campaign against Georgia by annexing South Ossetia and Abkhazia as separate “republics”.

Vladimir Putin

NATO MISREAD PUTIN

Encouraged by NATO in his desire to reconquer the eastern territories lost to separatists in 2014, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy began a military campaign that was explicitly designed to extinguish the separate status of the territories earlier lost to the Donetsk and Lugansk “republics”. In days, these and additional territories gained by the Russian advance during 2022 will be recognized by Putin as becoming part of the Russian Federation. Thereafter, an attack on them would be regarded by the Kremlin as an attack on the Russian Federation itself.

Assistance by NATO to Ukraine in kinetic action against such territories would be regarded as a direct attack by the alliance on Russia for the first time in that organisation’s history. NATO’s serial misreading of the intentions of the Kremlin appear to be leading the world towards an unprecedented escalation of the Ukraine conflict. In 2014, the misreading of the intentions of one side by another converted what was to be just a Balkan war into a European conflict. In that conflict, Serbia was the catalyst. In this, it could be Ukraine.

Much of the misreading of Putin has come through reliance on information provided by oligarchs who claimed to know his mind. They fed policymakers in Washington particularly with the impression that Putin was deeply unpopular, and that there would soon be a public revolt against him. They were wrong. Just as the June 1941 attack by Germany unified the Russian people behind Stalin, the activation of a proxy war by NATO on Russia (in an echo of Cold War 1.0) is mobilising the Russian people behind their leadership. For Vladimir Putin, either he is seen to succeed in his mission, or he will be removed from the Kremlin.

WHAT XI WANTED OF PUTIN

After the Samarkand meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a public admission was made by President Vladimir Putin that CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping had “concerns” about the war in Ukraine that Moscow “understood”. Unlike Xi, who even in this interaction was predictably reticent in public in matters of detail, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in full view of television cameras expressed to President Putin his view that “this was not the era of war”. It was a rebuke addressed as much to the Chinese as to the Russian leader, given that over the past six years, Xi Jinping has consistently upped the ante by taking aggressive actions in multiple theatres, including the Himalayan massif and more recently, Taiwan.

Given their record of mistaking what they wish for what is, Atlanticist media immediately reached the conclusion that Xi’s concerns were the same as Modi’s, namely seeking a speedy end of a war that has raged since February. According to impeccable sources in the capitals involved in the Xi-Putin conversation that took place on the sidelines of the SCO Summit, what had been conveyed by Xi to Putin was that he should adopt measures that would in a much faster way ensure an end to the war on terms favourable to Moscow. The mobilisation of 300,000 more troops and changes in the tactics and weaponry used thus far in the conflict indicate that Putin has operationalised this advice from his “no limits” partner.

Such a mobilisation was ordered for the Russian Army only twice before in history, first in July 1914 during World War I and subsequently in June 1941 after Germany invaded the USSR. Rather than going against Xi’s wishes, such a move only confirms that the CCP General Secretary advised President Putin to go all out in ensuring a rapid and favourable outcome to the conflict. Not a surprise, considering that the conflict is giving the PRC access at discounted prices to oil, gas and food grains, the prices of which have shot up worldwide as a consequence of the sanctions by NATO powers against Russia. Not for the first time, media pundits in Atlanticist outlets got a story wrong, in this case by making the erroneous assumption that Xi told his Russian counterpart to cut his losses and end the war immediately in the way that Prime Minister Modi had.

PUTIN’S UKRAINE PLAN NO SECRET TO XI

In the face of the logic of the Sino-Russian alliance, pundits in US and European media, government and academe continue to believe that Putin did not divulge to Xi his plan of beginning an outright war on Ukraine, in the meeting they had just a couple of days before the President of the Russian Federation launched the 2022 Ukraine-Russia war. In actuality, Putin got an assurance from his Chinese counterpart that, no matter what the public posture, the PRC would provide a lifeline to Russia sufficient to overcome the impact of Atlanticist sanctions.

But for massively increased purchases by China of Russian resources, Putin would have been unable to finance what has become a long and costly conflict. Even while delighted at the misreading of western media of the CCP leadership’s position on the 2022 war, briefings and statements designed to mislead Atlanticist countries in particular have continued from Beijing in a steady flow. These have obscured the reality that Xi has been in favour of the NATO-Russia proxy war in Ukraine continuing until any chance of reconciliation between Russia and the Atlanticist powers ends, thereby making Moscow even more dependent on Beijing than it already was.

TAKE PUTIN SERIOUSLY ABOUT NUKES

In this 2022 version of the 1962 game of “chicken” played between the US and Russia, it is disconcerting but unsurprising that senior levels within military HQ in Moscow are examining the possibility of using tactical nuclear weapons on the battlefield not only in Ukraine but in Poland, the country that in 1939 was influential in persuading Neville Chamberlain and Eduard Daladier to ignore Joseph Stalin’s request that France, the USSR and the UK immediately join forces against Germany, a situation in which Soviet troops would need to march through Poland to attack Germany.

Among the more hawkish elements of the Russian military, the calculation is that NATO would lack the will to respond in kind to the use by Russia of nuclear weapons, a move that would achieve Xi’s objective of permanently fracturing the relationship between Moscow and Paris, Washington, Berlin and London. Given the pressure that Putin is under from those around him who seek a Chechenesque conclusion to the conflict, warnings of a possible use of nuclear weapons may not be a bluff, according to those aware of the thinking in the Kremlin. These are the sources who had first warned in the closing months of 2021 that Putin was losing patience with the way in which NATO was seeking to ensure that Ukrainian forces re-occupy the Donbass and Lugansk “republics” that have now been marked for incorporation into Russia on the Crimea model.

While the leader of a democracy may on retirement face pesky prosecutors levelling mostly unprovable charges against him, the leader of an authoritarian state may after a fall from grace lose his freedom, if not his life. The manner in which military planners in NATO ignore the fact that they are dealing with a Head of State & Military who has a briefcase with nuclear codes always close by may prove to be their most consequential error in the saga over the future of Ukraine that began with the ouster of President Yanukovych in 2014 and the grooming of Ukraine to be to Russia what GHQ Rawalpindi-controlled Pakistan is to India.

PUTIN UNDER PRESSURE TO INCREASE EFFORTS

Atlanticist media narratives, despite freedom of the press, usually hew closely to the spin that their governments seek to communicate to their public. For months, this analyst has cautioned that the Atlanticist view that Putin is the hard-liner is wrong. In fact, a complaint since May 2022 that is finally coming out in the open is that he has been too cautious in his war aims and in the way in which he achieves them.

The Putin who oversaw military operations in Chechnya (the factor that secured him his present job) has been absent in the Ukraine conflict. Outlets such as BBC, DW or CNN are filled with horror stories about Russian “atrocities” on civilians, the reality is that the President of the Russian Federation has sought to hold back his troops from going all out against the opposing side. The argument taking place within the precincts of the Kremlin is that Russia under Putin is anyway being demonised for its “brutality”, so why not let loose the dogs of war and actually earn the reputation that has been placed on Putin’s head from the very start of this conflict? An early sign of such a shift may come from the planned Russian response to efforts by Ukrainian forces to sabotage efforts at holding a vote in the referendums that are planned as a preliminary to annexation of those territories by Russia.

Such a response is unlikely to stop at the boundaries of the Russian-speaking zones sought to be absorbed, but is likely to be witnessed in other zones as well, especially those that are the strongholds of the Ukrainian “nationalists”. Once the territories holding the referendums get formally incorporated into the Russian Federation, any attack on them would be taken as an attack on Russia, an attack in which NATO would be considered as no longer an accessory but a combatant.

The danger to Putin is not from those wanting “peace at any price” with NATO, but from those unhappy with the constraints that he has imposed on Russian forces during their operations in Ukraine. The CCP leadership anticipates that such an escalation of the conflict and its consequence on future relations between Russia and NATO would drain the energy away from any moves by the Quad and other formations to seriously challenge China, should the PLA mount an effort at subduing the island country by force. Which is why adulatory reports of “Xi the peacemaker” that have been appearing since the start of the 2022 conflict are exercises in delusion.

MODI, XI VIEWS NOT SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT

The stated desire of Prime Minister Modi from the start of the 2022 Ukraine war was to see an early end to it. In contrast, the intention of CCP General Secretary Xi has been to ensure that the faultlines caused by the war between Russia and the Atlanticists become permanent. This is an objective in which Russophobic policymakers and commentators across both sides of the Atlantic are helping to achieve.

Among the reasons why Putin had thus far held back substantial elements of his fire in the conflict was the influence of the St Petersburg school of strategic thinking in Russia, which has remained obsessed with the possibility of Russia and both sides of the Atlantic coming together in a repeat of the 1941-45 USSR-US-UK Grand Alliance. Among the casualties of the war has been the hold of the St Petersburg school on strategic planning by the Russian leadership. The war has, to the delight of Xi, majorly widened the faultlines already present between the Atlantic Alliance and the Russian Federation.

LONG WAR SUITS XI

Where India is concerned, from the start of the conflict, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, assisted by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, stressed that by far the most significant theatre of potential threat to the democracies was in the Indo-Pacific and no longer in the Atlantic, and implicitly that the country to watch out for was not Russia but China, especially under Xi Jinping. Those who seek to avoid the abyss of war and economic distress back Modi’s counsel to Putin at the SCO to end this war soonest.

However, such a view conflicts with the logic of Communist China, which sees in the Ukraine conflict an opportunity to realise several of its most important strategic goals, including a permanent rift in relations between Moscow and the Atlantic Alliance, and a de facto extinguishing by the PRC of the sovereignty of Taiwan. All this by taking advantage of a world in which the US and the rest of NATO have become embroiled in a global disaster, in the magnification of which their own contribution has not been trivial.

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How India advanced its core interests at SCO Summit

PM Modi’s remarks at the summit were carefully crafted. He confined them to India’s achievements in specific sectors, with an eye on the prospects this creates for beneficial cooperation primarily with the Central Asian states, writes Kanwal Sibal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Samarkand has to be seen in the context of the several geopolitical dimensions of this organisation which also have a bearing on India’s strategic interests. These include stability in Central Asia, combating terrorism and religious extremism, China’s role in the region, promoting multipolarity.

This summit took place when Russia is involved in the Ukraine conflict and China has committed aggression against India in Ladakh. In fact, its forces are still massed there, and it continues to expand its military infrastructure across the length of our border.

Relations between the US and both Russia and China have deteriorated sharply, while our relations with the US have greatly improved. The US and Europe are also unhappy with us on our unwillingness to condemn Russia for invading Ukraine.

At the summit, therefore, PM Modi had to engage in carefully balanced diplomacy that would preserve our equities with all sides. His remarks at the summit were therefore carefully crafted. He confined them to India’s achievements in specific sectors, with an eye on the prospects this creates for beneficial cooperation primarily with the Central Asian states.

He noted that India will grow 7.5 per cent this year – the highest amongst the world’s largest economies (more than China with President Xi listening). He mentioned the strides made by India in innovation with more than 70,000 Start-ups and more than 100 unicorns.

He offered to set up a new Special Working Group on Start-ups and Innovation in the SCO. In the area of food security, he emphasised the promotion and cultivation of millets and proposed a Millet Food Festival under the SCO. Capitalising on the setting up of a WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Gujarat (China lost out) he announced an Indian initiative to establish a new SCO Working Group on Traditional Medicine.

Prime Minister Modi eschewed any reference to terrorism or security issues in general, which would have been normal, if made, given our concerns that we share with Central Asia. He steered clear of all that could be construed as having an anti-West connotation. He mentioned the Ukraine crisis (to avoid any criticism that he was ignoring the issue), but in the context of disruption of global supply chains resulting in the whole world facing an unprecedented energy and food crisis.

He bracketed it with the pandemic and stressed the need to develop reliable, resilient and diversified supply chains in our region (a dig at China), which would need better connectivity, and in stating that “we all give each other full right to transit), he implicitly drew attention to Pakistan’s failure in this regard, with the Pakistan PM listening in.

There was some speculation, fuelled by the agreement on disengagement on PP15 in Ladakh just before the SCO summit, that PM Modi and President Xi may meet on the margins of the SCO summit. This was however unlikely without adequate preparations in advance to ensure positive results from the meeting.

A meeting at this point with President Xi would not have been a normal meeting between heads of friendly countries to exchange views on bilateral and multilateral issues, review progress in ties and discuss possibilities of expanding them further.

With China, the issue of disengagement and de-escalation on the border would have been central to the agenda of the meeting, and unless there were signals that the Chinese side was willing to make a major move to de-escalate, a meeting at the top political level would have frozen the stalemate in ties for the foreseeable future.

The Modi-Putin meeting was, of course, expected. Its tenor would have been of interest to the West, keeping in mind its unhappiness about our unwillingness to condemn Russia for invading Ukraine and instead of subscribing to energy sanctions actually stepping up oil purchases from Russia. Interestingly, PM Modi, in his opening remarks at his meeting with President Vladimir Putin expressed concern about the problems of food security, fuel security and fertilisers for developing countries in particular as a result of the Ukraine crisis, which he intended to discuss in his meeting with the President.



He appealed to the Russian President to also contribute to finding some way out, putting thus some of the onus also on President Putin to resolve the crisis, consistent with India’s call for diplomacy and dialogue to end it, but more pointedly than what we have said in public so far. (It is interesting that the Chinese side have some questions and concerns about Ukraine that Putin himself referred to in his opening remarks during his meeting with President Xi). Modi was also even handed in thanking both Putin and Ukraine for their help in evacuating our students from Ukraine. By saying that he believed that “today’s era is not of war” and that democracy, diplomacy and dialogue are “such things that touch the world”, Modi was batting for peace, as befits a responsible leader. He added that he awaited the chance to discuss further with President Putin how “we can move forward on the path of peace in the coming days”.

The West will construe Modi’s remarks as a publicly expressed implicit disapproval of Putin’s decision to launch a military operation, which is manifestly wrong. But this gives our side a talking point against western charges that India is not criticising Russia. Modi, however, balanced these opening remarks on his concerns about Ukraine by lauding the strength of India-Russia ties, even calling them unbreakable.

Putin was cordial in his remarks, referring to Modi’s birthday, the special and privileged partnership between the two countries (which Modi did not), the active cooperation of both sides on all international platforms. He candidly said that he knew Modi’s “position on the conflict in Ukraine, your concerns that you constantly express”, and that he wanted to end the conflict too, but put the blame on Ukraine’s leadership to refuse negotiations and settle the issue on the battlefield, while promising to keep India informed of developments.

This public admission by President Putin about PM Modi having conveyed his concerns over Ukraine to him “constantly”, puts the latter’s opening remarks in perspective and that it was by no means a “rebuke”.

The Russian leader appreciated Modi’s video message to the participants of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, fondly remembered his visit to New Delhi in December last year and the fruitful negotiations with PM Modi and invited him to visit Russia.

He noted that Russian supplies of fertilisers to India had grown eight times, large-scale joint projects in the oil and gas sector and nuclear power industry were consistently being implemented, noting also that for Russians, India’s rich history and ancient culture are traditionally of great interest. In this regard, he proposed to intensify the negotiation process on an agreement on visa-free tourist trips. The positive tenor of his remarks is notable.

After their closed-door meeting PM Modi in his tweet has described his meeting with Putin as “wonderful”, with a discussion on furthering bilateral cooperation in trade, energy, defence and other areas. Altogether it was a successful summit from India’s point of view.

(Kanwal Sibal is India’s former Foreign Secretary and Ambassador to Russia. Views expressed are personal and exclusive to India Narrative)

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

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Indian diplomacy’s ace performance at Samarkand

Modi urged SCO to strive to develop reliable, resilient and diversified supply chains in the region. For this, better connectivity will be required, besides giving full rights of transit to each other, he asserted, in a veiled reference to Pakistan…writes Asad Mirza

During the last fortnight, India has asserted itself diplomatically by refusing to join an important pillar of the US-led IPEF, and at the same time Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Samarkand has demonstrated his governments resolve to act globally and resolutely in interactions with regional leaders.

The 22nd summit of the eight-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) took place in Uzbekistan’s capital Samarkand, last week. The summit was held amid the growing geo-political turmoil set-off by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and China’s aggressive military posturing in the Taiwan Straits.

China which initiated this regional grouping as Shanghai Five in 1996, has transformed the forum into an influential grouping of eight nations, with many more like Iran to join as a permanent member and diverse countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Belarus and Mongolia being given Observer status, which shows its transformation into an influential regional forum, besides challenging to other western regional alliances.

In his address at the summit, Modi obdurately touched every relevant aspect of the current geo-political situation. He urged SCO to strive to develop reliable, resilient and diversified supply chains in the region. For this, better connectivity will be required, besides giving full rights of transit to each other, he asserted, in a veiled reference to Pakistan. He also batted for making India a regional manufacturing hub. On tackling the challenges of food security, he spoke of India’s efforts to popularise millets as an alternative and cheap option.

In a speech that was otherwise free from references to India’s regional issues on terrorism with Pakistan and on territorial sovereignty with China, Modi called for greater cooperation in the Eurasian region. He also focused on initiatives on manufacturing that India is willing to pilot in the next year, when India assumes the chair of the SCO and hosts the Summit in mid-2023.

Modi-Xi Jinping meeting

The most important meeting from India’s standpoint was a possible meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Everyone wondered whether roadblocks have been cleared and temperaments cooled after the recent success of commander level talks between two countries on the issues of Chinese aggression in the Ladakh region in May 2020.

But, officially the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) mentioned no such meetings. In fact, Samarkand offered the perfect opportunity for two leaders to reset the ties. But there seemed little willingness from the two sides, to compromise. In fact, if the reports are to be believed, the exchange between the two leaders, reminded one of the cold treatment meted out by Modi to former Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif at the 2014 SAARC summit, though it eventually ended with a handshake at the last moment, but nothing such happened in Samarkand. But the moot question here is whether China is in a mood to mend ties with India?

Well, it seems no, not at the moment perhaps. Modi and Xi have met twice earlier but that is not enough to read each other’s thoughts and also make a convincing and principled case, though both the countries stand to gain much economically, if ties are improved.

Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, when asked about a meeting that never happened said that he did not “think there is anything more to read into that”.

Modi-Putin meeting

Modi’s bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the summit also received a lot of attention. The two leaders shared the customary diplomatic greetings, with Modi specifically emphasising that the modern era was not a time of war. According to reports, Putin acknowledged India’s position on the Ukrainian conflict and reaffirmed his commitment to a speedy resolution.

India and Chinese leaders expressing their concerns directly with the Russian leader about the war in Ukraine is reflective of global concerns about the effects of its aggression, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last weel.

The mainstream American media praised Prime Minister Modi for telling Putin that this is “not the time for war” in Ukraine. It was the lead story on the webpages of both The Washington Post and The New York Times, and was widely carried by the mainstream American media.



Modi-Erdogan bonhomie

Among other impromptu meetings was the one important one between Modi and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which was held unannounced on September 16. After the meeting, Modi underlined that the focus was on economic ties between the two countries.

The MEA, in a statement, described the meeting as a review of current India-Turkey relations. While noting the increase in recent years in economic relations, particularly bilateral trade, it acknowledged the potential for further enhancement of economic and commercial partnerships. Erdogan last visited India in 2017.

While India-Turkey’s economic and commercial cooperation constitutes an important dimension of the bilateral relationship, diplomatic ties have been adversely impacted over Turkiye’s public criticism of the revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and the February 2020 riots in north-east Delhi.

Modi-Raisi meeting, looking ahead

Another important meeting at Samarkand was between odi and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Both the leaders took the opportunity to discuss boosting ties in areas like energy, commerce and connectivity. They also reviewed progress of the Shahid Behesti terminal at Chabahar Port and there are indications that the Iranian president also discussed a new mechanism to supply crude oil to India on rupee payment basis, instead of American dollars. This may bring the two countries closer on the trade and economic fronts.

The manner in which Modi and his diplomatic team carried the business at Samarkand shows the maturity and coming of age of the Indian diplomacy under the Prime Minister.

India will be hosting the next SCO Summit in 2023, and this will offer Modi an opportunity to develop the organisation into a more meaningful and cohesive organisation. A fact evident by the number of countries, which are desirous of joining it, due to its regional potential.

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