Jaishankar Represents India at SCO Summit Amid Modi's Russia, Austria Visits

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will represent India at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Astana next week. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has opted to skip the event due to his planned visits to Russia and Austria.

Focus on Regional Security

The SCO summit, scheduled for July 3 and 4, will address regional security issues and explore ways to enhance connectivity and trade. The Indian delegation will be led by S. Jaishankar, as confirmed by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal during a media briefing on Friday.

The summit is expected to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, the Ukraine conflict, and overall security cooperation among SCO member countries. The SCO includes India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Modi's Foreign Visits

Prime Minister Modi is set to visit Russia from July 8 to 9, marking his first trip to the country in nearly five years. Following this visit, he is likely to travel to Austria on July 9 for a two-day trip. There has been no official confirmation regarding these visits yet.

Modi conveyed India's full support for the success of the summit during a phone conversation with Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Tuesday. Kazakhstan is hosting the summit as the current chair of the SCO.

India's Role in SCO

India's involvement with the SCO began in 2005 as an observer country. It became a full member state at the Astana summit in 2017. India chaired the SCO last year and hosted the summit virtually in July.

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Pakistan joined as a permanent member along with India in 2017.

India has shown interest in enhancing its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which focuses on security and defence issues.

Generally, the Indian prime minister participates in the SCO summit. However, Modi's absence this year is due to his planned visits to Russia and Austria.

The conclusion of Modi's visit to Russia will be followed by his likely travel to Austria on July 9 for a two-day trip. This decision has led him to skip the SCO summit.

The SCO has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations, playing a significant role in economic and security matters across its member states.

India continues to deepen its engagement with the SCO, focusing on regional security cooperation and connectivity initiatives.