S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister will represent India at the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi has opted to skip the meeting. The summit is scheduled to take place on July 3 and 4 in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.
The SCO, founded in 2001 at a summit in Shanghai by the presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, is a significant economic and security bloc. It now includes India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, making it one of the largest transregional international organizations.
Kazakhstan is hosting this year’s summit as the current chair of the grouping. S Jaishankar will lead the Indian delegation to Astana, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
This summit marks the first high-level meeting between Indian and Chinese officials since the commencement of Modi’s third tenure in office. Times of India reports that the summit’s agenda will include examining counterterrorism efforts in light of the growing influence of ISIS in Eurasia and increasing radicalization in the region.
The Wire reported that India has cited a scheduling conflict with the first session of India’s Parliament as the official reason for Modi’s absence. However, experts suggest that Modi’s decision to skip the summit may be influenced by the strained relations between India and China, particularly due to the ongoing standoff in Eastern Ladakh.
In recent developments, India allowed a US delegation to visit Dharamsala, drawing protests from China. Additionally, New Delhi has refused to resume direct flights from Beijing. India is urging the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to disengage from the Depsang and Demchok areas, maintaining that normalization of relations with China is contingent on resolving border issues.
Despite the official reason for Modi’s absence being the parliamentary session, it has been noted that the distance between Astana and Delhi is not substantial, and the parliamentary session is not facing any immediate crisis. Moreover, PM Modi is scheduled to visit Russia and Austria from July 8 to July 10.
