Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, July 4: Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually hosted the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on Tuesday. Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, and Xi Jinping, the President of China, will also be present at the summit. Since crushing a mutiny by the Wagner mercenary group in late June, it will be Putin’s first appearance at an international event.
Addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit virtually, Prime Minister Modi said that the “SCO has emerged as key platform for peace, prosperity, and development of Eurasia.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned international terrorism and stressed that the nations “need to cooperate to stop terror-financing” at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).
“Terrorism is a threat to regional and global peace. We will have to fight against terrorism…Some countries use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of their policies and give shelter to terrorists. SCO should not hesitate to criticize such countries. SCO countries should condemn it. There should be no double standards on terrorism,” PM Modi said at the SCO meeting.
Additionally, he said that the Bhashini, India’s AI-based language platform might be used to break down linguistic barriers within the SCO.
“We would be delighted to share India’s AI-based language platform Bhashini with everyone to remove language barriers within SCO. It can become an example of digital technology and inclusive growth. SCO can become a significant voice for reforms within the UN and other global institutions. I am delighted that Iran is joining the SCO family as a new member…,” PM Narendra Modi said at the SCO Summit.
Shehbaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, will also attend the event. The summit will also be attended by Pakistan, which has been isolated globally for harbouring terrorists. The fact that Pakistan and China have indicated their desire to attend the summit is one of the meeting’s primary highlights.
According to a statement from the spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Mao Ning, Jinping will make significant remarks during the summit and, together with other leaders, will set the direction for the organization’s future growth.
Members of the SCO are anticipated to talk about issues like climate change, digital inclusion, regional security, Afghanistan and terrorism.
The SCO meeting’s topic is SECURE. It stands for S: Security, E: Economic development, C: Connectivity, U: Unity, R: Respect for Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity and E: Environmental protection, according to the sources.
Just two weeks have passed since US President Joe Biden hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a state visit, at which time the two nations referred to themselves as “among the closest partners in the world.”
Relations between the Western nations and a Russia-China partnership have been tense following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine last year and Beijing’s growing assertive presence in the global geopolitical theatre, India, which this year holds the SCO and G20 presidency, has walked a diplomatic tightrope.
The Summit is open to all SCO members, including China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Iran, Belarus, and Mongolia have also been invited to participate as observer states. Turkmenistan has also been invited as the Chair’s guest, as per tradition of the SCO. There will also be the presence of heads of the Secretariat and SCO RATS, two of the SCO’s bodies.
