First SCO Summit Under India's Chairmanship To Be Held Online On July 4 - Foreign Ministry

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 31st May, 2023) The 23rd Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) leaders summit will be held online on July 4, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said.

"Under India's first-ever Chairmanship, the 23rd Summit of the SCO Council of Heads of State will be held in the virtual format on 4 July 2023, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi," the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The upcoming summit will be the culmination of India's chairmanship, which the country assumed on September 12, 2022, according to the statement.

All members of the SCO, namely China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are expected to attend the summit. Besides, Iran, Belarus and Mongolia were invited as observers, and Turkmenistan was invited as the chair's guest in accordance with the SCO tradition.

The head of the SCO Secretariat and the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure will also attend the top-level event.

Additionally, heads of six international organizations, including the United Nations and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations were invited to the event.

The summit will be held under the title "Towards a SECURE SCO," the statement read. The word "SECURE" is also an acronym that stands for "Security, Economy and trade; Connectivity, Unity; Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity; and Environment." The acronym was proposed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 2018 SCO leaders summit.

"India has set up new pillars of cooperation under its Chairmanship - Startups and Innovation; Traditional Medicine; Digital Inclusion; Youth Empowerment; and Shared Buddhist Heritage," the ministry said.

India's chairmanship of the SCO is marked by intense mutually beneficial cooperation, according to the statement. Since September, India has hosted 134 SCO events, including 14 meetings at the ministerial level.