Foreign ministers of India, China, Pakistan and 5 different Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states started an important assembly of the grouping in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on Wednesday with a deal with the evolving state of affairs in Afghanistan.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is representing India on the SCO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
“SCO FMM begins. 20th year is an opportune time to reflect on achievements and deliberate on challenges. Afghanistan and post-Covid recovery is a matter of concern,” Jaishankar tweeted.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi have been amongst these attending the assembly.
The SCO, which is seen as an antidote to NATO, is an eight-member financial and safety bloc and has emerged as one of many largest inter-regional worldwide organisations. India and Pakistan grew to become its everlasting members in 2017.
The SCO was based in 2001 at a summit in Shanghai by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
India has proven eager curiosity in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Framework (RATS), notably on points referring to safety and defence.
India was made an observer within the SCO in 2005 and has usually participated in ministerial-level conferences of the grouping which primarily targeted on safety and financial cooperation within the Eurasian area.
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With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
