Issues of regional and international importance are expected to figure prominently at the 24th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State (SCO Summit) to be held on Thursday in Astana, under the presidency of Kazakhstan, it was officially announced on Tuesday.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will lead the Indian delegation to Astana for the summit which will be attended by leaders of all member countries, including China, Russia and Pakistan.
At the summit, the leaders are expected to review the organization’s activities over the past two decades and discuss the state and prospects of multilateral cooperation.
India’s priorities in SCO are shaped by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a ‘SECURE’ SCO. SECURE stands for Security, Economic cooperation, Connectivity, Unity, Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and Environmental protection, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
India, under its first-ever presidency of SCO, hosted the 23rd Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State in July last year in a virtual format.