Fresh out of key G20 meetings, India to host first SCO ministerial next week

India, the current chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), is all set to host the organization's first ministerial meeting, the Meeting of Energy Ministers, on 14 March 2023. India has already extended formal invitations to all the members of the organization for an in-person meeting in Delhi, with participation still being confirmed.

In the run-up to the SCO summit under India's presidency, the nation will be holding meetings of defence, interior, and environment ministersof member countries along with meeting of National Security Advisors (NSAs) of the SCO nations.

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India is expected to hold the transport, culture, defence ministers meet in April. Meanwhile, the foreign ministers meeting in Goa is expected to be held in May and a summit on 25 June in Delhi.

SCO energy ministers meeting comes days after India hosted key meetings of the G20 grouping, the finance minister meeting in Bangalore and the foreign ministers meeting in Delhi.

India is the chair of both G20 and SCO groupings this year.

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SCO was founded over 20 years ago, with the goal of promoting economic, political, and military cooperation among its member countries. The organization's members include Russia, India, China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

SCO covers over 60 per cent of the Eurasian landmass, 40 per cent of the world population, and 30 per cent of the global GDP.

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Additionally, with Iran becoming the latest country to join the organization, it will attend the grouping's meetings as a full-fledged member for the first time this year under the Indian presidency.

As more and more countries from west Asia express their interest in joining the organization as dialogue partners, the SCO's importance continues to increase.

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