External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar will lead the Indian delegation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Astana, Kazhakstan today. He is representing Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 24th Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State.
During the Summit, the leaders are expected to review the organization’s activities over the past two decades and discuss the state and prospects of multilateral cooperation. Topical issues of regional and international importance are also expected to be discussed at the meeting.
India’s priorities in SCO are shaped by Prime Minister’s vision of a ‘SECURE’ SCO. SECURE stands for Security, Economic cooperation, Connectivity, Unity, Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and Environmental protection. India, under its first-ever presidency of SCO, hosted the 23rd Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State on 4th July last year in virtual format.
Yesterday, Dr S Jaishankar met UN Secretary General Antinio Guttres and his counterparts from Kazhakstan, Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan on the sidelines of the summit. He also paid homage at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Pushkin Park in Astana.
