Rajnath to raise terrorism issue at SCO meeting
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is leading a high-level Indian delegation to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting scheduled at Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday.
The minister will highlight India’s commitment towards global peace, amid the prevailing global security challenges and underline India’s consistent stance on zero tolerance for terrorism and extremism, the Ministry of Defence said.
At the meeting, defence ministers of various member countries will deliberate upon a number of issues concerning the defence and security of the region. Issues related to international peace, counter-terrorism and defence cooperation among SCO member states will also be discussed.
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.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Rajnath Singh is likely to hold bilateral talks with his counterparts of some participating countries.
The SCO is an inter-governmental organisation established on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai, China. Its membership includes India, Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Belarus. India became a full member in 2017 and assumed the rotating chairmanship in 2023.
