Why is it in news?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will “virtually host” Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Central Asian Presidents as India chairs the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Council of Heads of State (SCOCHS), for the first time.
UPSC SYLLABUS RELEVANCE for prelims and Mains
- Prelims: Current events of National and International Importance.
- Mains: General Studies-II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
Important concepts
- Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
Today’s prelims practice question:
- Consider the following statements about the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO):
- It is an intergovernmental organization founded in Shanghai on 15 June 2003.
- The SCO currently comprises eight Member States, four Observer States and six Dialogue Partners.
Which among the statements mentioned above is/are incorrect?
- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Correct answer: A
Explanation: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organization founded in Shanghai on 15 June 2001. The SCO currently comprises eight Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan), four Observer States interested in acceding to full membership (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia) and six “Dialogue Partners” (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey).