Picture : Twitter/ ANI
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers meeting began in New Delhi on Friday which is being chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
AS per ANI report, In his opening address, he laid stress on the cultural and civilizational ties between the SCO nations.
“We have cultural and civilizational links. For ages, we have had people-to-people connect and have exchanges in the field of commodities, and ideas–due to which we have grown in economic and cultural terms. With changing times, we will work to strengthen those linkages. SCO has evolved into a strong regional organisation,” he said.
Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu, Tajikistan’s Colonel General Sherali Mirzo, Iran’s Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiyani and Kazakhstan’s Colonel General Ruslan Zhaksylykov arrived in the national capital on Thursday, a day before the SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and his counterparts from Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are also attending the meeting.
Officials involved in preparations for the meeting said the deliberations’ main focus will be regional security situations, including the developments in Afghanistan. They said enhancing coordination among the SCO member countries to effectively combat terrorism and extremism will be another priority.
India as the Chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in 2023 will host the SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting on 28 April 2023 in New Delhi.
