Why did India block Azerbaijan’s SCO membership? Is it just friendship with Pakistan or…

Azerbaijan has accused India of blocking its membership of the SCO. However, India is yet to respond to the accusation.

Written by: Nivedita Dash Edited by: Nivedita Dash

Updated: September 3, 2025, 10:23 AM IST

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https://www.india.com/news/world/why-did-india-stop-azerbaijans-sco-membership-is-it-just-friendship-with-pakistan-or-armenia-factor-updates-8050880/ Copy

Why did India stop Azerbaijan's SCO membership? Is it just friendship with Pakistan or...

Azerbaijan has accused India of blocking its membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. It even claimed that the current SCO chair China, the second largest superpower Russia and its eternal friend Pakistan had supported its membership of the SCO, but India blocked it. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also attended the SCO summit held in Tianjin, China as a dialogue partner. During this, he also held a bilateral meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif.

Azerbaijani President’s rhetoric against India

According to Azerbaijani media reports, in this meeting Ilham Aliyev stressed that India is taking action against Azerbaijan at international forums because of its unwavering support to Pakistan. He said that such behaviour has no special significance for Azerbaijan as brotherly relations with Pakistan remain an unconditional priority. Azerbaijan has claimed that it has strong relations with all SCO member countries except India. It also described itself as a valuable partner for the SCO.

What argument is Azerbaijan giving against India?

Azerbaijani media says that their country is already a dialogue partner of the SCO. It had expressed its desire to upgrade its status to that of an observer, but India has blocked it. They said that there has never been any contradiction between India and Azerbaijan nor any close rapprochement. There is neither any major trade nor any direct rivalry between the two countries. They allege that despite this India is blocking Azerbaijan’s SCO membership.

Why did India block Azerbaijan’s SCO membership

However, the media there forgot that Azerbaijan is not only a friend of Pakistan but also its supporter on the Kashmir issue, which is a red line for India. During Operation Sindoor, Azerbaijan had supported Pakistan and criticized India. Many reports even said that during Operation Sindoor, apart from Turkey and China, Azerbaijan also provided military assistance to Pakistan. In such a situation, India will never want another enemy country to become a member of the SCO.