New Delhi: India Thursday was non-committal on its participation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to be chaired by Pakistan in 2027, highlighting that any decision will be taken by the “appropriate authority at the appropriate time”.
“India deals with SCO as an entity and an important organisation. As far as our engagement with individual countries are concerned, a decision will be taken by an appropriate authority at the appropriate time,” Sibi George, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, said at a special briefing on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visits to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan from 29 August till 1 September.
Modi is travelling to Kyrgyzstan to attend the heads of states summit of the SCO. However, Pakistan is in line to take up the chairship of the organisation for 2027. When questioned further, George underlined that India maintains its stance of “zero tolerance on terrorism” while highlighting that New Delhi will continue to work with the international community to combat terrorism.
India and Pakistan both joined the SCO in 2017. India chaired the organisation in 2023, holding a virtual leaders’ summit as it was also chairing the G20 summit that year. Pakistan conducted the heads of government meetings in 2024. At those meetings, Indian officials participated at various levels, with diplomats from India’s High Commission in Islamabad leading the delegation at some.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had travelled to Islamabad to lead the Indian delegation at the heads of government meeting that year, offering a potential blueprint for how India will approach the organisation in 2027.
Modi has missed only one SCO summit since 2016—the 2024 summit in Kazakhstan. The organisation which was founded in 2001, completes 25 years this year. The other members of the SCO are: Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Iran and Belarus.
The Indian Prime Minister will be in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek between 31 August and 1 September to attend the summit as well as the opening ceremony of the World Nomad Games.
While in Bishkek, Modi will hold a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was confirmed by George, while another bilateral with the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan is likely.
Modi will also hold a bilateral meeting with Sadyr Japarov, the President of Kyrgyzstan. At the SCO the Prime Minister will continue to reiterate India’s stance on combatting terrorism, one of the core pillars of the organisation.
Of the two permanent institutions established by the SCO, one is the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), headquartered in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent. The institution focuses on increasing cooperation between member-states to combat terrorist activities. India has long called for countries to combat not just terrorist activities but also funding for international terrorism.
Modi’s two-country tour begins with a visit to Tashkent on 29 August. This is his fourth visit to Uzbekistan, and second stand-alone bilateral visit. He visited the country in 2015, 2016 and 2022. His last two visits to Uzbekistan were for SCO summits.
The Indian Prime Minister will complete his bilateral meetings on 29 August, before visiting the Lal Bahadur Shastri memorial and the Gandhi Centre at the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies.
“We have wide-ranging cooperation in the fields of critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, IT and health sectors with Uzbekistan. India is among the top 10 trading partners of Uzbekistan. Trade is close to $1 billion. We have invested in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, automobile components, hospitality and amusement parks. More than 16,000 Indian students in Uzbekistan with four Indian university campuses operating in the country,” explained George.
The full gamut of the bilateral relationship is expected to be discussed between Modi and the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, including in defence and strategic sectors.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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