Jaishankar To Represent India At SCO Summit In Kazakhstan As PM Modi Opts Out

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had initially planned to visit Astana, Kazakhstan, for the SCO Summit on July 3-4, 2024.

Preparations for the visit had progressed, including an an "advance security liaison" team visit. However, the Ministry of External Affairs later announced that the Indian delegation would be led by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar instead.

Photo Credit: PTI

The official reasons for PM Modi's decision to skip the summit were not provided, reported Hindustan Times. However, it is believed that his busy schedule with the ongoing Parliament session, which runs until July 3, and the strained relations with China contributed to this decision.

PM Modi communicated this to Kazakhstan during a phone call with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, where both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the bilateral strategic partnership and the success of the SCO Summit.

Attending the summit in person would have required PM Modi to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pakistan President Shehbaz Sharif.

Historically, India has been represented by its foreign minister at the 2014 SCO Summit, while PM Modi attended five subsequent summits before the Covid-19 pandemic.

He participated virtually in 2021 and attended in-person in Uzbekistan in 2022. Last year's SCO Summit, hosted by India, was converted into a virtual event due to the expected absence of the Chinese and Russian presidents.