External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will represent India at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) annual summit in Astana next week, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has opted not to attend. Modi plans to visit Russia from July 8 to 9, marking his first trip there in almost five years. Following his Russian visit, Modi is expected to travel to Austria on July 9 for a two-day visit.
Modi's decision to skip the SCO summit is attributed to his scheduled trips to Russia and Austria, although there is no official confirmation regarding these visits yet. The SCO summit, set for July 3 and 4, will focus on regional security and enhancing connectivity and trade.
"The Indian delegation at the SCO summit will be led by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar," said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during his weekly media briefing on Friday.
Discussions at the summit are anticipated to cover the situation in Afghanistan, the conflict in Ukraine, and strengthening overall security cooperation among SCO member countries. The SCO, consisting of India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, is a significant economic and security bloc, ranking among the largest transregional international organizations.
Typically, the Indian Prime Minister attends the SCO summit. During a phone call on Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi assured Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of India’s full support for the summit's success. Kazakhstan is hosting the summit as the current chair of the SCO.
India chaired the SCO last year and hosted the summit virtually in July. India’s involvement with the SCO started in 2005 as an observer, becoming a full member during the 2017 Astana summit. India has been keen on enhancing its security cooperation with the SCO, particularly through its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which focuses on security and defense issues.
The SCO was established at a 2001 summit in Shanghai by the presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became permanent members in 2017.
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