EAM Jaishankar to attend SCO Summit in Kazakhstan instead of PM Modi
- In Reports
- 07:25 PM, Jun 29, 2024
- Myind Staff
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will represent India at the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Astana next week, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has opted not to attend. Modi is scheduled to visit Russia from July 8 to 9, marking his first visit to the country in nearly five years. Following his trip to Russia, Modi is expected to travel to Austria on July 9 for a two-day visit.
Modi's decision to skip the SCO summit is reportedly due to his planned visits to Russia and Austria. While there has been no official confirmation of Modi's itinerary for these two countries yet, his absence from the SCO summit will be marked by External Affairs Minister Jaishankar representing India at the event in Astana.
The upcoming SCO summit scheduled for July 3 and 4 is anticipated to center on discussions concerning regional security dynamics and initiatives aimed at enhancing connectivity and trade. According to Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, the Indian delegation at the SCO summit will be headed by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. Jaiswal made this announcement during his weekly media briefing on June 28th.
The upcoming SCO summit is anticipated to address significant topics such as the situation in Afghanistan, the conflict in Ukraine, and enhancing security cooperation among member countries. The SCO, comprising India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, is a prominent economic and security bloc, having grown into one of the largest transregional international organizations.
Typically, the Indian Prime Minister participates in the SCO summit. However, in this instance, Prime Minister Modi has conveyed his full support for the summit's success to Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during a recent phone conversation.
Kazakhstan is hosting the SCO summit as the current chair of the grouping, a role that rotates among member states. Last year, India held the chairmanship and hosted the SCO summit in a virtual format in July.
India's association with the SCO began in 2005 as an observer country and it became a full member state at the Astana summit in 2017. Since then, India has actively sought to enhance its security-related cooperation within the SCO framework, particularly through the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS). RATS is a specialised body within SCO that focuses on security and defense issues.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was established at a summit in Shanghai in 2001. Its founding members were the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. In 2017, both India and Pakistan joined the SCO as full members, expanding the organisation's scope and influence in Eurasia.
Image Source: OneIndia
Comments