Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Oct 18: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will represent India at the 25th meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), scheduled to be held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on October 19 and 20, the government said on Sunday.
The meeting will focus on strengthening multilateral cooperation among SCO member states, particularly in trade, economy, investment, connectivity, innovation and cultural and humanitarian exchanges, the Defence Ministry said in a statement.
India remains actively engaged in various SCO mechanisms and continues to contribute to regional cooperation through initiatives in areas such as startups and innovation, digital public infrastructure and people-to-people exchanges, it said.
The meeting is also expected to review progress in ongoing cooperation initiatives and consider decisions related to the organisation's financial and institutional functioning.
The forum will provide an opportunity for India to exchange views with other SCO member states on advancing practical and mutually beneficial cooperation, the ministry added.
The previous meeting of the Council of Heads of Government was held in Moscow on November 18 last year, when External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar represented India.
The SCO is a major regional organisation focused on economic and security cooperation. It was founded in Shanghai in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
India and Pakistan became permanent members in 2017. Iran and Belarus are among the organisation's other members.
In April, Singh attended the SCO defence ministers' meeting in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.