India participates in Exercise SCO Peaceful Mission 2021

• The Indian military contingent comprising of an all arms combined force of 200 personnel and 38 personnel from the IAF is participating in this exercise.
• Joint Counter Terrorism Exercise PEACEFUL MISSION is a Multilateral Exercise, conducted biennially as part of military diplomacy between Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states.
• The 6th edition is being hosted by Russia in the Orenburg Region from 13 to 25 September 2021.

Exercise PEACEFUL MISSION

• The aim of the exercise is to foster close relations between SCO member states and to enhance the abilities of the military leaders to command multi-national military contingents.
• This exercise will enable sharing of best practices between the Armed Forces of SCO nations.
• This exercise will also provide an opportunity for the Armed Forces of SCO Nations to train in Counter-Terrorism Operations in an urban scenario in a multinational and joint environment.
• The scope of the exercise includes professional interaction, mutual understanding of drills & procedures, the establishment of joint command & control structures, and the elimination of terrorist threats.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), or Shanghai Pact

• It is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance, the creation of which was announced on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai, China by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Charter, formally establishing the organization, was signed in June 2002 and entered into force on 19 September 2003.

• The original five members, with the exclusion of Uzbekistan, were previously members of the Shanghai Five group, founded on 26 April 1996.

• Since then, the organization has expanded its membership to eight states when India and Pakistan joined SCO as full members on 9 June 2017 at a summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.

• The Heads of State Council (HSC) is the supreme decision-making body in the SCO, it meets once a year and adopts decisions and guidelines on all important matters of the organization.

• Military exercises are also regularly conducted among members to promote cooperation and coordination against terrorism and other external threats, and to maintain regional peace and stability.

• It is the largest regional organisation in the world in terms of geographical coverage and population, covering three-fifths of the Eurasian continent and nearly half of the human population.

• Type: Mutual security, political, economic organisation

• Headquarters: Chaoyang District, Beijing

• Membership

• 8 member states: China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan Russia, Tajikistan & Uzbekistan

• 4 observer states: Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, Mongolia

• 6 dialogue partners: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka & Turkey

• 4 guest attendances: Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Commonwealth of Independent States, Turkmenistan &

• United Nations

• Official language: Chinese and Russian

• Secretary General: Vladimir Norov"