Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday left for Qingdao, China, to take part in the 2018 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.
With 8 members, SCO represents approximately 42 percent of the world’s population, 22 percent of the land area and 20 percent of the GDP. SCO focuses on political, economic, security and cultural cooperation & enables India to engage with Central Asian countries.
PM Modi in a statement said, “On 9th and 10th June, I will be in Qingdao, China to take part in the annual SCO Summit. This will be India’s first SCO Summit as a full member. Will be interacting with leaders of SCO nations and discussing a wide range of subjects with them.”
“I am excited to lead the Indian delegation for our first-ever meeting of the Council as a full member. The SCO has a rich agenda for cooperation, ranging from fighting terrorism, separatism and extremism to promoting cooperation in connectivity, commerce, customs, law, health and agriculture; protecting the environment and mitigating disaster risk; and fostering people-to-people relations. In the last one year since India became a full member of the SCO, our interaction with the Organisation and its member States has grown considerably in these areas. I believe that the Qingdao Summit will further enrich the SCO agenda, while heralding a new beginning for India’s engagement with the SCO,” Modi added.
“India enjoys deep friendship and multi-dimensional ties with the Member States of the SCO. On the sidelines of the SCO Summit, I will have the opportunity of meeting and sharing views with several other leaders, including the Heads of States of many SCO Member States,” PM Modi said.
The Prime Minister will also hold bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, apart from interacting with leaders of SCO nations on various subjects.
