Rajnath Singh to Lead Indian Delegation at SCO Meet in Bishkek; Focus on Zero Tolerance for Terrorism
Issues related to international peace, counter-terrorism and defence cooperation among SCO member states will also be discussed.
New Delhi: Defence minister Rajnath Singh will lead the Indian delegation to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers’ meeting in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, on April 28.
Last year, Singh had refused to sign the joint declaration at the meeting in Qingdao as it did not mention the Pahalgam terror attack and nor explicitly address India’s concerns over Pakistan-backed cross-border terrorism.
“Raksha Mantri will highlight India’s commitment towards global peace, amidst the prevailing global security challenges, and underline India’s consistent stance on zero tolerance for terrorism and extremism,” said a defence ministry statement on Monday announcing Singh’s visit.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Singh is likely to hold bilateral talks with his counterparts of some participating countries. During the meeting, the defence ministers are expected to deliberate upon a number of issues concerning the defence and security of the region. Issues related to international peace, counter-terrorism and defence cooperation among SCO member states will also be discussed.
This year’s SCO meeting is taking place against the backdrop of geopolitical turmoil being witnessed due to the situation in West Asia. The SCO, one of the largest political and economic organisations of the region, may discuss measures to reduce the impact of the ongoing conflict.
The SCO is an inter-governmental organisation established on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai, China. Its membership includes India, Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Belarus. India became a full member in 2017 and assumed the rotating chairmanship in 2023.
