India to host virtual SCO summit with Putin and Lukashenko in attendance

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko will beattending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit that India will be hosting virtually next week. The summit on 4th July will be chaired by Indian PM Narendra Modi with a focus on "Secure" theme, an acronym that stands for 'Security, Economy and Trade, Connectivity, Unity, Respect for Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity, and Environment'.

India for the first time since becoming a full member of the grouping in 2017, is chairing the grouping. However, the nation has been hosting several key meetings of the grouping, including the defence and foreign ministers' meeting earlier this year. All the SCO Member States — China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, have been invited to attend the summit. In addition, Iran, Belarus, and Mongolia have been invited as Observer States. As per SCO tradition, Turkmenistan has also been invited as the guest of the Chair.

Earlier this month, Pakistan confirmed its presence at the summit. Pakistan foreign ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said, "Pakistan will be represented at the summit. We will be making an announcement regarding our participation in the coming days."

Iran will become a full member of the grouping during this year's summit hosted by India, even as Belarus will complete the procedure of entry by the next summit, a process that takes two years.

A key pact for the entry of the country will be signed this year while the entry itselftakes place next year. The grouping is looking at rapid expansion. At the SCO foreign minister meet in Goa, memorandums were signed granting Kuwait, Maldives, Myanmar, and the United Arab Emirates status as dialogue partners. In addition, Bahrain is at the final stage of obtaining the dialogue partner status.

All in all, India hosted a total of 134 meetings and events, including 14 ministerial-level meetings under its presidency of the grouping. Two new SCO mechanisms have been created under the Indian chair as well. These are special working groups on startups and innovation along with an expert working group on traditional medicine.

These mechanisms are India-created and India-led. Special emphasis was also laid on shared Buddhist Heritage, with New Delhi hosting key meetings.

The SCO, dominated by Russia and China, is seen as a crucial regional organisation that aims to promote economic, political, and military cooperation among its members. The organisation 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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