SCO emerged as important platform for peace, prosperity in Eurasia: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the past 20 years has emerged as an important platform for peace, prosperity and development in the entire Eurasia region. He said that India sees SCO as an extended family.

In his virtual address at the 23rd Summit of the SCO Council of Heads of State, PM Modi said that several new platforms such as the Young Scientist Conclave, Authors Conclave, Startup Forum, and Youth Council have been organized to harness the talent of the youth from SCO countries.

"Over the past two decades, the SCO has emerged as an important platform for peace, prosperity and development in the entire Eurasia region. India's thousands of years old cultural and people-to-people ties with this region are living testimony to our shared heritage," he said.

PM Modi chaired the SCO meeting virtually. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and other leaders virtually participated in the SCO meeting.

PM Modi said that India has made efforts to take its multi-faceted cooperation with SCO to new heights.

"We do not only see the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) as an extended neighbourhood, but rather as an extended family. As Chair of the SCO, India has made efforts to take our multi-faceted cooperation to new heights," PM Modi said.

PM Modi noted that security, economic development, connectivity, unity, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and environmental protection are pillars of India's vision for SCO.

"India has established five pillars of cooperation within the SCO: Startup and innovation, traditional medicine, youth empowerment, digital inclusion, and shared Buddhist heritage," he said.

The theme of India's chairship of SCO-SECURE is derived from the acronym coined by PM Modi at the 2018 SCO Qingdao Summit. It stands for S: Security, E: Economic development, C: Connectivity, U: Unity, R: Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, E: Environmental protection.