New Delhi, May 31, 2023 – India will host the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in a virtual format on July 4, announced the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday. The decision to hold the summit virtually was made after consultations with member states, although the specific reasons for the virtual format were not cited.
Last year, the SCO summit took place in the Uzbek city of Samarkand, with the presence of top leaders from member countries including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. This year, due to ongoing circumstances, the summit will be conducted virtually, ensuring the safety and convenience of all participants.
India assumed the rotating chairmanship of the SCO at the Samarkand Summit on September 16 last year, and under its leadership, the 22nd summit of the SCO Council of Heads of State will take place. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the virtual summit, marking India’s first-ever chairmanship.
All member states of the SCO, including China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, have been invited to attend the summit. Additionally, observer states Iran, Belarus, and Mongolia have also received invitations. Turkmenistan will participate as the guest of the chair, following SCO tradition.
The SCO, founded in 2001, is an influential economic and security bloc and has become one of the largest transregional international organizations. India and Pakistan became permanent members in 2017. Heads of the SCO secretariat and the SCO RATS (Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure) will be present at the summit.
The theme of the summit is ‘Towards a SECURE SCO,’ with the acronym SECURE representing Security; Economy and Trade; Connectivity; Unity; Respect for Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity; and Environment. These themes have been emphasized during India’s chairmanship.
India has introduced new areas of cooperation under its chairmanship, including startups and innovation, traditional medicine, digital inclusion, youth empowerment, and shared Buddhist heritage. The country has also focused on fostering stronger people-to-people ties, organizing various socio-cultural events in Varanasi as part of the first-ever SCO cultural and tourist capital for 2022-23.
During its chairmanship, India has hosted a total of 134 meetings and events, including 14 ministerial-level meetings. The MEA expressed India’s commitment to playing a positive and constructive role in the organization, looking forward to a successful SCO Summit as the culmination of its chairmanship.
India’s involvement with the SCO dates back to 2005 when it became an observer. Since then, India has actively participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping, focusing on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region. India has shown a keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which addresses security and defense matters.
The SCO Summit in July will provide an opportunity for member states to discuss and collaborate on various issues of regional and global significance, aiming to strengthen cooperation and foster mutual understanding among nations.
