Lagatar24 Desk
Beijing, June 30: The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) virtual summit, which is being hosted by India, will be attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Friday.
“At the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend via video conference in Beijing the 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and deliver important remarks on July 4,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying announced Friday, as per Xinhua News Agency.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually chair the SCO Council of Heads of State, the organisation announced in a statement. The meeting is set to take place on July 4.
Turkmenistan has also been invited as the Chair’s guest, as is customary for the SCO. There will also be heads of the two SCO Bodies, the Secretariat and the SCO RATS. Additionally, the heads of six international and regional organizations—the UN, ASEAN, CIS, CSTO, EAEU, and CICA—have been invited.
“The theme of the Summit is ‘Towards a SECURE SCO’. The SECURE acronym was coined by the Prime Minister at the 2018 SCO Summit and stands for Security; Economy and Trade; Connectivity; Unity; Respect for Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity; and Environment. These themes have been highlighted during our Chairmanship of SCO,” the statement read.
“India has set up new pillars of cooperation under its Chairmanship – Startups and Innovation; Traditional Medicine; Digital Inclusion; Youth Empowerment; and Shared Buddhist Heritage. In addition, India has worked towards fostering greater people-to-people ties that celebrate the historical and civilizational bonds between our nations. These include the various socio-cultural events hosted by Varanasi under the framework of the first-ever SCO Cultural and Tourist Capital for 2022-23,” the statement added.
The SCO has had a period of intensive activity and mutually beneficial cooperation between Member States under India’s chairmanship. 14 meetings at the ministerial level were among the 134 meetings and events that India has held. India is still dedicated to contributing positively and constructively to the organisation and welcomes the conclusion of its Chairmanship with a successful SCO Summit.
Up to September 2023, India will continue to hold the rotating presidency.
India’s role in regional cooperation and its effort to promote an integrated neighbourhood reached a key turning point in 2022 when it took over the SCO presidency.
