PM Modi to skip SCO meet today

New Delhi, Nov 30: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan's Prime Minister, Imran Khan will not join the virtual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) today.

The meeting will be chaired by Vice President, Venkaiah Naidu. This is the first time that India is hosting the meeting of the body since it was admitted to the 8 member grouping in 2017.

It may be recalled that PM Modi, Khan and Chinese President, Xi Jinping had joined the virtual SCO summit chaired by Russia earlier this year. In January, the Ministry of External Affairs had said that the SCO council of heads of government meeting is held annually at the Prime Minister level. India would invite all eight members of the SCO and four observer states and other international dialogue partners to the meet in November.

Pakistan would be represented by the Parliamentary Affairs Secretary for Foreign Affairs.

The Prime Ministers of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will be part of the meeting.