Astana: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has arrived in Kazakhstan to lead the Indian delegation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit that will be held on July 4. The minister met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday after arriving in Astana, and also paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Pushkin Park.
Jaishankar held wide-ranging conversations with Lavrov on India-Russia bilateral partnership and contemporary issues. He also raised strong concerns over Indian nationals involved in the war zone in Ukraine and pressed for their safe and expeditious return. "Also discussed the global strategic landscape and exchanged assessments and views," he added.
It is pertinent to note that the Ministry of External Affairs in June said two Indian nationals who had been recruited by the Russian Army were killed in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. India has taken up the matter of early release and return of all Indian nationals who are with the Russian Army.
"The Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Moscow have strongly taken up the matter with the Russian Ambassador in New Delhi and with Russian authorities in Moscow, respectively, for early release and return of all Indian nationals who are with the Russian Army," said the ministry.
Upon arriving in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, Jaishankar met Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu, after which he thanked the latter for hospitality and arrangements for the SCO Council of Heads of State Summit. He also discussed India's expanding strategic partnership with Kazakhstan as well as India’s increasing engagement with Central Asia in various formats.
On Wednesday, Jaishankar also paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Pushkin Park in Astana. He was joined by members of the Indian community and friends of India.
The SCO, comprising India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, is an influential economic and security bloc that has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations. The high-level summit will be attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, confirmed Beijing's foreign ministry.
Officials say there is a likelihood of a meeting on the sidelines of the summit between Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is expected to accompany Xi. If it takes place, it will be the first high-level meeting between Indian and Chinese officials after the formation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 3.0 government following the recent general elections in India.
Leaders of the summit are expected to review the organization’s activities over the past two decades and discuss the state and prospects of multilateral cooperation. Topical issues of regional and international importance are also expected to be discussed at the meeting.
India’s priorities in SCO are shaped by Prime Minister’s vision of a ‘SECURE’ SCO. SECURE stands for Security, Economic cooperation, Connectivity, Unity, Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and Environmental protection, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. India was the chair of the SCO last year. It hosted the SCO summit in the virtual format in July last year.
India has shown a keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence. The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Pakistan became its permanent member along with India in 2017.
(with inputs from agency)
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