Modi to lead India at SCO meeting in Dushanbe, to focus on Afghanistan

Prime minister Narendra Modi will virtually lead the Indian delegation and address a plenary sesssion at the meeting of the Council of Heads of State at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Dushanbe on Friday. 

Meanwhile, India's external affairs minister S Jaishankar would represent India in a key meeting at the summit in Tajikistan's capital. 

The 21st meeting of SCO Council of Heads of State, to be chaired by Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, is being held in a hybrid format for the first time.

This is the fourth summit that India will participate in as a full-fledged member of SCO. The summit will also be attended by the leaders of the SCO member states, observer states, secretary general of the SCO, executive director of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) as well as the President of Turkmenistan among others, the ministry of external affairs said in a statement on Wednesday.

S Jaishankar is expected to hold a series of bilateral discussions with his counterparts from Iran, Tajikistan and Russia at the SCO meeting this year. The discussions are likely to be focussed on the evolving situation in Afghanistan and its implication on regional security.

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will also be in Dushanbe, though there was no word on whether Jaishankar would meet them.

The SCO meet at Dushanbe assumes significance as the organisation is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. 

The leaders are expected to review the SCO's activities over the past two decades and discuss the state and prospects of future cooperation. Topical issues of regional and international importance are also expected to be discussed.

Last month, Union law minister Kiren Rijiju laid stressed on India's approach of zero tolerance to corruption and black money at the virtual meeting of the 8th Ministers of Justice of the SCO.

he SCO summit comprises eight member states -- Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan.