The 24th Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State (SCO Summit) is being held on July 4 in Astana, under the presidency of Kazakhstan. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will lead the Indian delegation to the SCO Summit.
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. Topical issues of regional and international importance are also expected to be discussed at the meeting, a statement said.
India’s priorities in SCO are shaped by Prime Minister’s vision of a ‘SECURE’ SCO. SECURE stands for Security, Economic cooperation, Connectivity, Unity, Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and Environmental protection.
India, under its first-ever presidency of SCO, hosted the 23rd Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State on July 4, 2023 in virtual format.
The SCO member states cover half of the world’s population and almost a third of global GDP. The 2024 summit is expected to see new expansion with Belarus set to join as the tenth member. Iran joined the bloc last year.
