Page 4 - Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

New Delhi Hall at SCO Secretariat in Beijing depicts 'mini India': EAM

Ahead of next month's SCO summit to be held for the first time under India's Presidency, India on Tuesday inaugurated an exquisitely designed 'New Delhi Hall' here at the headquarters of the eight-member grouping, which External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said depicted a mini-India. The Secretariat of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) comprising China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan is located in the high-end diplomatic area in Beijing. While the six founding members China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan have their halls highlighting their cultures and unique features, India is the first to add its own 'New Delhi Hall' which is officially opened ahead of the July 4 SCO summit to be held in virtual format. Pakistan may have to await its turn to set up its hall. In his video address, Jaishankar said, I am delighted to inaugurate the New Delhi Hall at the SCO Secretariat today amidst the august presen

Decision to host SCO summit in virtual mode based on various factors: MEA

India on Friday said its decision to hold the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the virtual format was taken considering a number of factors. Replying to a question on the issue during his weekly media briefing, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi noted that India did not make any announcement in the past it would be an in-person summit. The MEA on Tuesday announced that India will host the annual summit of the SCO in the virtual format on July 4. While making the announcement, it did not cite any reason behind the decision. India is hosting the summit in its capacity as the current chair of the SCO. Bagchi said many international summits in recent years have taken place in the virtual format and it was decided to hold the SCO summit in that mode taking into consideration various factors. He, however, did not mention the factors. He said the decision was not driven by a single factor. "We have now communicated to the SCO partners a

India to host Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit virtually on July 4

India will host the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the virtual format on July 4, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Tuesday. However, it did not cite reasons for holding the summit in the virtual mode. Last year, the in-person SCO summit took place in the Uzbek city of Samarkand that was attended by all top leaders of the grouping including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. India assumed the rotating chairmanship of the SCO at the Samarkand Summit on September 16 last year. "Under India's first-ever chairmanship, the 22nd summit of the SCO Council of Heads of State will be held in the virtual format on July 4, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi," the MEA said in a statement. India hosted the foreign ministers of the SCO at a two-day conclave in Goa earlier this month. The MEA said all the SCO member states -- China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan,

Visit to India to attend SCO meet was 'productive': Pak's Bilawal Bhutto

Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that the decision to attend the SCO's Foreign Ministers meeting in India earlier this month proved "productive and positive" for the country. Addressing a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs on Thursday, Bilawal said that it was important for his ministry to project Pakistan's case and point of view not only in India but also in front of other participants of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). "As far as the Kashmir issue, bilateral issues between Pakistan and India and the responsibilities of multilateralism are concerned, my conclusion after the trip is that it is a productive and positive decision to participate in the event, he said. "We thought we should project Pakistan's case and point of view in front of not only Indian but the other participant countries, he informed the committee. Bilawal travelled to Goa on May 4 to attend a conclave of the SCO the next day, the first such high-le

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SCO members unanimously adopt proposal on Digital Public Infra: Vaishnaw

Inter-governmental body Shanghai Cooperation Organization members, which includes China and Pakistan, have unanimously adopted India's proposal for developing Digital Public Infrastructure, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Saturday. India has developed Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) like unified payment interface, Aadhaar etc to make services available to people in a convenient manner. "The Digital Ministers of SCO member states met today and unanimously adopted India's proposal for developing Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) as the right way for deploying digital technology among member states," Vaishnaw said. The SCO comprises eight Member States (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan), four Observer States interested in acceding to full membership (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia) and six 'Dialogue Partners' (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey). Vaishnaw said DPI is very important from th

Narendra Singh Tomar chairs eighth meeting of SCO agriculture ministers

India is a leading producer of many commodities like cereals, fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs, and fish

SCO digital ministers adopt India's proposal to adopt digital public infra

India also shared its plans to invest $3 billion to take mobile connectivity to villages in remote areas and $5 billion to bring broadband connectivity to all 250,000 Gram Panchayats

India calls for close cooperation between SCO to maintain food supply chain

Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday called for a close co-operation between SCO member countries to maintain normal functioning of the food supply chain in the present conditions for ensuring food as well as nutritional security. The minister was addressing virtually the 8th meeting of Agriculture Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries. Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, China and Pakistan participated in it along with India, according to an official statement. Under the chairmanship of India, SCO member countries adopted the Smart Agriculture project. Highlighting that India has become self-sufficient in foodgrains production, Tomar said the country will continue to share its best practices and build capacities with other countries, bilaterally as well as in collaboration with international organisations, so that they too become self-reliant and food secure nations. He expressing satisfaction over the smart

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Pakistan FM Bilawal Bhutto describes his India visit as a 'success'

Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday said his visit to Goa was a "success" as he advocated his country's case on the soil of India. His remarks came hours after his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar accused him of being a "promoter, justifier and a spokesperson of a terror industry." Addressing a press conference after his return from Goa where he attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting, Bhutto Zardari said his trip to India was a success as it helped to negate the view that every Muslim was a terrorist. We made an attempt at breaking this myth, Bhutto-Zardari said. Jaishankar mounted an offensive against Bhutto-Zardari in his address at the SCO meeting, contending Pakistan foreign minister's statement that terrorism shouldn't be "weaponised for diplomatic point-scoring", in remarks seen as directed at India. Hours later at a press conference, Jaishankar said Bhutto-Zardari's statement on the weaponisati

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Chinese FM Qin Gang calls for joint efforts against terrorism, separatism

China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Friday called on member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to deepen security cooperation, jointly combat the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism and uphold strategic independence. In his speech at the SCO Foreign Ministers meeting in Benaulim, Goa, Qin took a veiled dig at the US, saying that the world is faced with multiple crises and challenges featuring a resurgence of the Cold War mentality, headwinds of unilateral protectionism, as well as rising hegemonism and power politics. He put forward a five-point proposal to build a closer SCO community with a shared future, one of which was that the eight member states should deepen security cooperation and jointly crack down on terrorism. "The SCO members should continue to jointly crack down on the 'three forces' of terrorism, separatism and extremism, drug trafficking and transnational organised crimes, support Afghanistan in establishing a broadly-based and

SCO summit: Victims of terrorism don't sit with perpetrators, says EAM

Both nations should sit together on terrorism: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari during first visit to India by a Pak FM in a decade

India and Pakistan take veiled swipe at each other at SCO meeting

India and Pakistan on Friday took a veiled swipe at each other at a SCO meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar demanding tough action against cross-border terrorism and his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari calling for not getting caught up in "weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point-scoring". In his address at the meeting of the foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) here, Jaishankar said the channel of finances for terror activities must be blocked without any distinction even as Bhutto Zardari raised the issue of "violation of international law" which was seen as an apparent reference to Kashmir. The SCO norms do not allow raking up bilateral issues and the two foreign ministers did not name any country and made the comments indirectly. Chairing the conclave, Jaishankar said taking the "eyes off terrorism" would be detrimental to the security interests of the grouping and that when the world was engaged in facing the Covid-19 .

Bhutto-Zardari calls for collective approach by SCO to combat terrorism

Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday called for a collective approach by the SCO to combat terrorism and not get caught up in "weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring". His remarks at the India-hosted conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Goa came shortly after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said terrorism in all its forms, including cross-border terrorism, must be stopped. "... We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism," Jaishankar said, in an apparent reference to Pakistan's support to terrorist activities against India. Bhutto-Zardari in his address said terrorism continues to threaten global security and that collective security of our peoples is our joint responsibility. "Let's not get caught up in weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring," he said, in comments seen as a veiled dig at ...

Jaishankar seeks support to make English 3rd official language of SCO

Jaishankar said that India has initiated an unprecedented engagement with SCO observers and dialogue partners by inviting them to participate in more than 14 social-cultural events

Channel of finances for terrorism must be seized, blocked: Jaishankar

India on Friday called upon the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to focus on firmly combating terrorism with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar asserting that the menace must be stopped in all its forms, including cross-border terrorism, in an apparent reference to Pakistan. In the presence of Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, China's Qin Gang and Russia's Sergey Lavrov, Jaishankar, in his address at a conclave of the SCO, said taking the eyes off terrorism would be detrimental to security interests of the grouping. The external affairs minister said the channel of finances for terrorist activities must be seized and blocked without distinction. While the world was engaged in facing COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences , the menace of terrorism continues unabated, he said, in remarks seen as directed at Pakistan. "We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations, including ...

TMS Ep426: Indian jobseekers, cricket aggression, FPI inflows, SCO

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