PM Modi to virtually host SCO Summit with Putin, Xi Jinping, Shehbaz Sharif in attendance
India is all set to virtually host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit today where Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to join Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
FollowIndia is all set to virtually host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) today chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. China’s President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin will also participate in the summit. Since crushing a mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group in late June, it will be Putin's first appearance at a global gathering. The summit will also witness the participation of Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Pakistan is expected to attend the conference despite being shunned internationally for harbouring terrorists. The fact that Pakistan and China have indicated their desire to attend the summit is one of the meeting's primary features.
According to a statement from the spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Mao Ning, Jinping will make significant statements during the gathering and, along with other leaders, will set the direction for the group's future expansion.
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Members of the SCO are anticipated to talk about issues like climate change, digital inclusion, regional security, Afghanistan, and terrorism. The theme of the SCO meeting is SECURE. It stands for S: Security, E: Economic development, C: Connectivity, U: Unity, R: Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, E: Environmental protection.
The summit comes barely two weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi was hosted by US President Joe Biden for a state visit. The two nations referred to themselves as "among the closest partners in the world".
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The Summit is open to all SCO members, including China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Iran, Belarus, and Mongolia have all been invited to participate as observer states. Turkmenistan has also been invited as the Chair's guest, as is customary for the SCO. There will also be representatives from the Secretariat and SCO RATS, two of the SCO's bodies.
