PM Narendra Modi unlikely to attend SCO summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unlikely to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, or SCO, summit in Kazakhstan. The SCO summit will be taking place from 3-4 July 2024 in Astana. No reason is known as of now for the developments, but that week also sees the Indian Parliament session. India is likely to send some other representative to the summit. 

Kazakhstan took over the presidency of the grouping from India, which was the president last year. India hosted the SCO summit virtually in July 2023. This year's host is Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who has proposed, among other initiatives, the establishment of a joint investment fund.

PM Modi's first foreign visit after taking charge for the 3rd consecutive term was to Italy to attend the G7 summit. The visit was in the context of a multilateral summit. This year will see a packed diplomatic agenda for India, including the BRICS summit in Russia, BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok, the G20 summit in Brazil and summit of the future in New York. 

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a political, economic, and security group that was established in 2001. The current members of the SCO are China, Russia, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Iran became a full member in 2023, under the Indian Presidency of the grouping. Belarus is an observer state and is next in line to gain full membership.

The SCO is focused on regional security, counter-terrorism, and economic cooperation among its member states. The organisation covers over 60% of the Eurasian landmass, 40% of the world population, and 30% of global GDP.