New Delhi, Aug 26 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to hold several bilateral meetings with other participating leaders on the sidelines of the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin this week.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, addressing a media briefing ahead of PM Modi’s visit to Japan and China from August 29-September 1, declined to reveal the details of the bilateral meetings, saying they were in the process of being scheduled.
However, one of the anticipated meetings is likely to be with Chinese President Xi Jinping, especially in the wake of the notable thawing of ties between the two nations, ahead of the SCO Summit.
“As always happens with regard to such events, there will be a number of bilateral meetings that will be organized on the sidelines. We are still working through the finalization of those meetings and will keep you updated on the proceedings in those meetings,” the FS said.
As per the programme for the 25th SCO summit in Tianjin, there will be a welcome banquet dinner in the evening of August 31, with the main summit to be held on the next day, on September 1.
Prime Minister Modi is visiting Tianjin, China for the 25th meeting of the Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Council, the SCO, at the invitation of President Xi Jinping of China.
PM Modi has participated in SCO summits in 2018 in Qingdao; 2019 in Bishkek; 2020 in Moscow in virtual format; 2021 in Dushanbe in virtual format; 2022 in Tashkent; 2023 in New Delhi in virtual format; and in the 2024 Astana Summit External Affairs Minister had represented the Prime Minister.
“The theme of the 23rd SCO Summit which was chaired by Prime Minister Modi was towards a ‘SECURE’ SCO and here the SECURE stands for Security, Economy and Trade, Connectivity, Unity, Respect for Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity, and Environment. So this gives an idea of the range of issues that are of priority for India in the SCO,” said Tanmaya Lal, Secretary West in the MEA.
During India’s presidency in 2023, SCO had adopted a Joint Statement on cooperation on countering radicalization leading to separatism, extremism, and terrorism.
The SCO comprises 10 members. In addition to India, they include Belarus, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. There are a number of dialogue partners and observers also.
India has been a member of the SCO since 2017, and prior to that it was an observer since 2005. The SCO includes three observer states—Mongolia, Belarus, and Afghanistan (currently inactive)—and 14 dialogue partners: Sri Lanka, Turkey, Cambodia, Azerbaijan, Nepal, Armenia, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Myanmar, the Maldives, and the United Arab Emirates.
The official languages of the SCO are Chinese and Russian. It is the world’s largest regional organization by geography and population, covering about 80 percent of the Eurasian landmass and 40 percent of the world population. As of 2021, the bloc accounted for 20 percent of global GDP. Following the integration of Iran, the SCO now controls 20 percent of the world’s oil reserves and 44 percent of its natural gas.
