RakshaMantriShri Rajnath Singh will chair the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Defence Ministers Meeting on 28 April, 2023 in New Delhi. Defence Ministers of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan will participate. India has invitedBelarusand Iran,currently observers in SCO, to participate in the SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting. Defence Minister of Pakistan would be participating virtually.The Ministers will discuss matters related to regional peace and security, counter terrorism efforts within SCO and an effective multilateralism. 

RakshaMantriwill be holding bilateral meetings with the participating Defence Ministers on 27 and 28 April, 2023 where bilateral defence related issues and other matters of mutual interest will be discussed.

India has ancient civilizational, cultural and spiritual ties with the SCO member countries. India’s membership of SCO in 2017, was therefore, a reaffirmation of New Delhi’skeenness to deepen these historic ties.India considers SCO as an important regional group to promote multilateral, political, security, economic and people-to-people interactions in the region. 

India continues to bring more ideas and initiatives to strengthen cooperation amongst SCO countries. Under its Chairmanship, this year, India organised two defence related activities to enhance interoperability amongst SCO member states. The first being a workshop on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief and the second was a seminar of SCO countries defence think-tanks on the issue of Armed Forces contributing to Military medicine, Healthcare and Pandemics.

India stands committed to take forward the Agenda of SCO under its chairmanship

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ABB/SR/GC

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