SCO Modernization Discussed During Jaishankar’s Beijing Meeting with SCO Secretary General

During a meeting in Beijing, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Secretary General Nurlan Yermekbayev discussed the role of the 10-member organization and its modernization efforts. Jaishankar, who is in China after a visit to Singapore, shared details of the discussion via social media. His visit includes attendance at the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Tianjin and bilateral meetings. The upcoming 25th Heads of State Council meeting of the SCO is slated for later this year in Tianjin. India chaired the SCO Presidency in 2023, while Pakistan hosted the SCO Leaders’ Summit in 2024. The SCO’s members include India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Belarus. Jaishankar’s visit to China follows previous SCO meetings attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in June. India had refused to endorse a joint statement during the SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting due to the omission of any mention of the terror attack in Pahalgam.