PM Modi chairs virtual SCO meet; Xi Jinping, Putin in attendance
PM Modi to chair SCO summit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday hosted the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. The summit, which was conducted virtually, witnessed the attendance of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin will both attend the summit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will preside over the meeting of the SCO Heads of State. Terrorism, regional security, and prosperity are among the major issues to be on the agenda. The acronym coined by Prime Minister Modi at the 2018 SCO Qingdao Summit inspired India's SCO chairship theme, SECURE.
S represents security, E stands for economic growth, C stands for connectivity, U stands for unity, R stands for respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and E stands for environmental protection.
The summit will also witness the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The development comes at a time when the Russia-Ukraine conflict. India has criticised the conflict but has not voted in any forum against Russia.
Speaking to President Putin on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Uzbekistan last year, Prime Minister Modi stated, "This is not the era of war."
Earlier on June 30, PM Modi held a telephonic conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin about bilateral cooperation issues such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the G20.
All the SCO Member States like China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are invited to attend the Summit.
Iran, Belarus, and Mongolia have all been invited as Observer States. Turkmenistan has also been invited as the Chair's guest, as per the SCO tradition. The Secretariat and SCO RATS Secretariat heads will also be present.
Pakistan and China have stated their willingness to attend the summit, which is one of the conference's primary highlights. Pakistan, which has been isolated internationally for harbouring terrorists, is scheduled to attend the meeting.
With Chinese aggression at Galwan in 2020, there has been a protracted standoff and large-scale military amassing at Indian positions on the LAC in eastern Ladakh. The Indian side has also deployed a large number of troops and created infrastructure for them at a rapid rate.
PM Modi stated ahead of his visit to the US that "peace and tranquillity in border areas are essential" for "normal bilateral ties" with China, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
"We have a core belief in respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity, observing the rule of law and peaceful resolution of differences and disputes. At the same time, India is fully prepared and committed to protecting its sovereignty and dignity," PM Modi said.
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- ANI
