In the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, to be held in Kazakhstan on July 4th and 5th, where all world leaders are going to meet to deliberate talks on key issues related to cooperation in trade, energy, and transportation besides discussing topmost concerns including the situation in Afghanistan, the Indian delegation will be represented by EAM Jaishankar as PM Modi has decided to skip it. On the other hand, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to take part in framing a path for multilateral cooperation.
Notably, the hosting nation’s president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, has proposed several unique initiatives, one of which is the establishment of a joint investment fund. For this initiative, Tokayev has received thumping support from world leaders, including PM Modi who conveyed full support to his Kazakhstan counterpart on June 25.
The SCO presidency will be held by Kazakhstan this year after it took over the presidency from India last year. Among the key issues that are going to be in focus for the global leaders apart from mutual growth, there are regional concerns including the situation in Afghanistan, where there has been a surge in activities of the Islamic State, and the Ukraine conflict which has been going on for two years now is on the table.
As PM Narendra Modi decided to skip the summit in Astana being attended by the Chinese President, Russian President, and Pakistan Prime Minister, the Indian delegation will be led by EAM Jaishankar. EAM Jaishankar arrived in Kazakhstan late on Tuesday night and met his Kazakh counterpart Murat Nurtleu ahead of the two-day SCO summit. The two leaders exchanged their views on a range of issues, including India’s increasing engagement with Central Asia.
Meanwhile, efforts are underway to explore the possibility of PM Modi addressing the SCO gathering via video message. Releasing a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday stated that at the SCO Summit, India’s priorities have been shaped by the Prime Minister’s vision of a “SECURE SCO”. The term “SECURE” stands for Security, Economic cooperation, Connectivity, Unity, Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and Environmental protection.
The SCO grouping, comprising India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, is an influential economic and security bloc that has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organizations.
Following a review of developments that took place in the past two decades, the leaders will discuss the prospects of multilateral cooperation including economic, digital, and energy connectivity initiatives, trade, and regional issues including the situation in Afghanistan, where there has been a surge in activities of the Islamic State, and the Ukraine conflict which has been going on going on for two years now.
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