FICCI will represent Indian industry at SCO Business Council

NEW DELHI, June 9, 2017: FICCI congratulates Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Indian membership to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). SCO Business Council welcomes FICCI as Business Secretariat from India following India's formal induction ceremony at historic SCO summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.
This came into force following the accession ceremony at the SCO summit of heads of state where India formally moved from observer status to full membership.
FICCI has been designated by the Government of India to represent Indian industry at the SCO Business Council once India's accession formalities will be completed today.
“We are excited to be a part of this multilateral grouping and contribute to its economic agenda. Business and economic connect would be an important aspect of India's full membership of SCO. We look forward to working with member countries for progress, prosperity and connectivity in the region" said Mr Pankaj Patel, President FICCI.
The Business Council is an important part of the SCO and will play an even more significant role with growing focus of the grouping on economic aspects. From a primarily Eurasian construct, SCO now expands its footprint in the Indian subcontinent with the induction of India as a full member. This is the first expansion since Shanghai five became SCO with the induction of
Uzbekistan in 2001.
FICCI has been mandated by the Government of India to take on responsibility of the SCO business council India chapter. In this context, FICCI attended the SCO Business Council meeting in Astana on 7 June as an observer.
Mr Shiv Khemka, Vice Chairman, SUN Group with active involvement in the SCO member countries made a statement on behalf of FICCI at this meeting. He said: "SCO membership would not just enable us to come closer economically but to reconnect with our past shared ties of culture and commerce and build a strong edifice of security, connectivity and most importantly inclusive and sustainable development with mutual benefit to all" The membership to SCO ushers in a new era of regional co-operation and is a testimony to the Prime Minister’s commitment to the “Connect Central Asia Policy”, implemented during his tour of Central Asia in 2015-16 as well as with his recent visits to Russia and China.
Within SCO, India hopes to be a productive partner in building strong trade, transport, energy, digital and people to people links, capacity building and sustainable development initiatives. India's capacities in trade, investments, information and communication technology, financial services, Space, S&T, agriculture, health care, small and medium scale industry can
bring wide spread economic benefit to the SCO countries.
Currently, SCO accounts for 60% of the land mass of Eurasia, 27 percent of the global GDP and a quarter of the world's population. With India as its full member, SCO boundaries would stretch from the Pacific to Europe; and from the Arctic to the Indian Ocean.