Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit to take place in July: Minister Meenakshi Lekhi

India's junior foreign minister Meenakshi Lekhi told the parliament that the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit will take place in July.

India is the chair of the grouping and will be hosting the summit. It got the chairmanship of the grouping at the Samarkand SCO summit in September last year. This is the first time that India is hosting the summit since becoming a member of the grouping in 2017. 

Lekhi told Lok Sabha on Friday, "India will also host the SCO Heads of State Summit in July 2023 and will fulfil the role of an active and constructive member of the organisation."

Ahead of the summit, India will be hosting several ministerial meetings of the grouping, including the defence ministers' meeting that will take place in the capital New Delhi from April 27 to April 29, and the foreign ministers meeting in Goa from May 4 to May 5.

India has sent out invites for the meetings of defence ministers and foreign ministers to the members of the grouping, including China and Pakistan.

Talking about the foreign ministers' meeting, Lekhi said, "Most foreign ministers of member states of SCO have confirmed their participation. Confirmation from foreign ministers of China and Pakistan is awaited."

Apart from that, India will also be holding the National Security Advisers' meeting on March 29 in Delhi.

The SCO, founded over 20 years ago, comprises eight member countries, including Russia, India, China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

The SCO is a crucial regional organisation that aims to promote economic, political, and military cooperation among its members. It covers over 60 per cent of the Eurasian landmass, 40 per cent of the world population, and 30 per cent of the global GDP.

 

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