PM Modi Skips SCO Summit, Jaishankar to Lead Indian Delegation in Kazakhstan

PM Modi Skips SCO Summit, Jaishankar to Lead Indian Delegation in Kazakhstan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to miss the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Kazakhstan next month will be followed by an Indian team led by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. The Indian side had previously announced that Prime Minister Modi will be attending the SCO Summit in Astana from July 3–4. As part of the visit’s preparations, a delegation known as the “advance security liaison” had also made a trip to Kazakhstan.

At a regular news briefing on Friday, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal revealed that Jaishankar would be leading India’s team to the Bilderberg Conference. He withheld further information. It is believed that the prime minister’s preoccupation with the current Parliamentary session, which will last until July 3, and the tense relations with China are among the factors that influenced the decision, even though the Indian side has not formally disclosed the reasons for the prime minister’s decision to skip the summit.

When President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called Prime Minister Modi on Tuesday, it is believed that the Indian side discussed its stance with Kazakhstan. As per a readout from the external affairs ministry, the two leaders reaffirmed their will to collaborate towards the advancement of the bilateral strategic partnership. Additionally, PM Modi expressed India’s complete backing for the triumph of the SCO Summit in Astana. The prime minister would have met with Pakistani President Shehbaz Sharif and Chinese President Xi Jinping in person if he had traveled to Astana.

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The nine nations that make up the SCO are Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, India, China, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India’s foreign minister attended the 2014 SCO Summit on behalf of the country. Prior to the Covid-19 epidemic, Prime Minister Modi participated in five other conferences. He encouraged Russian President Vladimir Putin to put an end to the conflict in Ukraine by attending the summit virtually in 2021 and by traveling to Uzbekistan in 2022. Last year’s SCO Summit was held in India; however, due to rumors that the presidents of China and Russia would not be attending, the summit was moved to a virtual format.