Rajnath Singh leads Indian delegation at SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is leading a high-level delegation to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
During the meeting scheduled today, Defence Ministers of various member countries are set to deliberate upon a number of issues concerning the regional defence and security situation.
Issues related to international peace, counter-terrorism and defence cooperation among SCO member states would also be discussed, an official release by the Indian Defence Ministry stated.
This year’s SCO meeting is taking place in 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 statement added.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh 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.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Singh is also likely to hold bilateral talks with his counterparts from some participating countries.
The SCO is an intern-governmental organisation established on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai, China. Its member nations include India, Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Belarus.
India became a full member in 2017 and assumed the rotating chairmanship of the multi-lateral organisation in 2023.
