The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) declared on Friday that S. Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs, will head the Indian mission to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting the following week.
The SCO summit is scheduled to occur in Kazakhstan’s capital city of Astana on July 3–4.
“The External affairs minister will be leading our delegation there,” MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a weekly briefing here.
India, which presided over the SCO last year, was replaced by Kazakhstan. In July 2023, India will virtually host the SCO summit. The president of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, is the host this year. Among his many proposals is the creation of a cooperative investment fund.
On June 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with the President of Kazakhstan over the phone and expressed his unwavering support for the next summit in Astana. The two presidents reaffirmed during the discussion their determination to keeping cooperating to develop bilateral strategic alliances.
The prime minister expressed hope that Kazakhstan’s leadership will significantly advance cooperation within the region.
“Had a good conversation with President of Kazakhstan H.E. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Thanked him for warm wishes on the success in the elections,” PM Modi wrote in a post on X.
“Reiterated the commitment to advance our Strategic Partnership with Kazakhstan. Conveyed India’s full support for the success of the upcoming SCO Summit,” he added.
The 2020–2021 COVID-19 epidemic caused the SCO meetings to be televised.
Founded in 2001, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a political, economic, and security alliance. China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are the current members of the SCO.
Iran joined the grouping as a full member in 2023, during the Indian Presidency. The next country to become a full member is Belarus, which is currently an observer state.
The SCO is focused on regional security, counter-terrorism, and economic cooperation among its member states.
The organisation covers over 60 per cent of the Eurasian landmass, 40 per cent of the world population, and 30 per cent of global GDP.
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EAM S Jaishankar to lead Indian delegation to SCO Summit in Kazakhstan next week
