On April 28th, 2023, Friday, The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting is underway in New Delhi. The Defence Minister of India, Rajnath Singh is chairing the SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting, where he will be stressing on the cultural as well as civilisation ties between the SCO nations. The ministers participating in the SCO meeting will be having a discussion on reviewing the overall situation in Afghanistan.   

“We have cultural and civilizational links. For ages, we have had people-to-people connections and have exchanges in the field of commodities, as well as ideas due to which we have grown in cultural and economic terms. With changing times, we will work to strengthen those linkages, SCO has evolved into a strong regional organisation,” Rajnath Singh said while addressing the SCO meeting in Delhi. The Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu, Iran’s Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Gharaei Asthiyani, Kazakhstan’s Colonel General Ruslan Zhaksylykov, and Tajikistan’s Colonel General Sherali Mirzo are among those who are presented at the SCO Meeting. 

Meanwhile, Pakistan had earlier decided to skip the conclave but now the Defence Minister of Pakistan Khawaja Asif will be participating in the SCO meeting through a virtual mode. The primary focus of the deliberations would be on the situation of security in the region, including the development of Afghanistan. The officials involved in the overall preparation and coordination said that enhancing coordination among the member countries of SCO to effectively combat terrorism and extremism should be on priority. 

The Defence Ministry of India said in a statement that China had eroded the entire basis of ties between the countries by flouting bilateral agreements. The SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) is an intergovernmental organisation established in the year 2001. There are several countries in the SCO membership named China, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan besides India.