Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang (fourth right) attends the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) foreign ministers' meeting in Goa, India, May 5, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
NEW DELHI – India will host a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in a virtual format in July, the external affairs ministry said on Tuesday, adding that heads of state of all members, including Russia, China and Pakistan were invited.
The eight-member bloc's defense and foreign ministers attended in-person meetings in India earlier this year. China's defense minister came to India in April for a meeting of the SCO's defense ministers. Pakistan's foreign minister also visited India earlier this month.
The SCO members said they support Afghanistan in achieving national stability and reconstruction, back the SCO to strengthen cooperation with the United Nations and BRICS countries, defend the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and uphold multilateralism
During his visit to India earlier this month, China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang put forward a five-point proposal to build a closer SCO community with a shared future. Qin said China is willing to expand cooperation with other SCO member states, jointly move forward on the path of national development and revitalization, and work together toward building a community with a shared future for mankind.
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Participants at the meeting spoke highly of the contributions to regional security and development made by the SCO as a major regional cooperation platform.
The SCO members said they support Afghanistan in achieving national stability and reconstruction, back the SCO to strengthen cooperation with the United Nations and BRICS countries, defend the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and uphold multilateralism.
They agreed to further strengthen security cooperation and jointly combat terrorism, separatism, drug production and trafficking, and cyber crimes.
They also pledged to enhance cooperation in such areas as transport, energy, finance, investment, free trade, digital economy and environmental protection so as to achieve common development.
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The ministerial meeting made full preparations for the SCO summit to be held in New Delhi this summer. India has been the chair since September. Iran, Belarus and Mongolia have been invited to the summit as observer states other than all SCO member states – China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. As per SCO tradition, Turkmenistan has also been invited as the guest of the chair.