SCO foreign ministers' meet to lay political groundwork for summit: China

The meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the Chinese city of Tianjin on Tuesday will make political preparations for the summit of the 10-member bloc to be held at the end of August, an official here said on Monday.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Foreign Ministers of the other SCO member states have arrived in Beijing on Monday to attend a conclave of the grouping.

China, which is the rotating chair of the SCO, said the Council of Foreign Ministers meeting aims to make political preparations for the summit of the organisation. The summit will be held in Tianjin this fall, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a media briefing here.

The foreign ministers will exchange views on cooperation in various fields of the SCO and major international and regional issues and sign a series of resolutions and documents, Lin said.

Russian news agency Tass quoted Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying that the summit is set to be held in Tianjin between August 30 and September 1.

China has announced plans to hold a massive military parade in Beijing on September 3 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.

The SCO comprises 10 member states, including China, Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus.