SCO Summit Live Updates: Iran formally becomes full member of SCO, PM Modi conveys best wishes to President Ebrahim Raisi

President Xi warns against attempts to foment new 'Cold War'; calls on SCO states to safeguard regional peace

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday warned against the external attempts to foment a new "Cold War" in the region and called on the SCO member countries to safeguard regional peace and ensure common security by cracking down on terrorism through joint operations.

Putin thanks PM Modi for organising SCO summit, lauds work India has done under its Presidency

He said, "I would like to thank PM Modi for organising this Summit. The implementation of a lot of documents and the decisions that were prepared for this Summit is going to enhance the strategic partnership with India," adding that Russia supports the New Delhi declaration which gives a consolidated approach to international issues.

PM Modi underlined India's contribution to SCO in last six years as member state: Foreign Secretary Kwatra

Prime Minister Narendra Modi underlined India's contribution to SCO especially in the last six years as a member state during the summit held in virtual format and highlighted the need to work together to eliminate the menace of terrorism in the region and globally.

There are a number of factors that go behind the decision in holding a Summit - in this case, the virtual summit. This in no way insinuates the dilution in the objectives that we are trying to seek from the SCO Summit: Foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra

Iran formally becomes full member of SCO

Iran, one of India's neighbours in its extended neighbourhood, has formally become a full member of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who on Tuesday chaired the SCO Summit virtually, said Iran is going to join as new member of the organization and also welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Obligation for the SCO membership of Belarus. "I am happy that today Iran is going to join the SCO family as a new member. For this, I convey my best wishes to President Ebrahim Raisi and the people of Iran. Also, we welcome the signing of the memorandum of obligation for Belarus' SCO membership," PM Modi said at the summit.

Xi urges Shanghai alliance to 'safeguard regional peace'

China's Xi Jinping urged Russian, Iranian and other leaders on Tuesday to work towards safeguarding "regional peace" as he addressed a virtual summit of their Shanghai alliance. Xi "called for efforts to safeguard regional peace and ensure common security", state news agency Xinhua said, adding that he urged member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to "follow the right direction and enhance their solidarity and mutual trust". Russian President Vladimir Putin also addressed the meeting, his first summit since a short-lived mutiny last month after the head of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, led a failed rebellion against the Kremlin.

Russia will stand up against sanctions & 'provocations': Putin

Russia will stand up against Western sanctions and 'provocations', President Vladimir Putin told a virtual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Tuesday, a group that also includes China and India. Putin said Moscow planned to boost ties with the group and supported the transition to settlements in local currencies in foreign trade. He also warned that the potential for conflicts and the risk of a global economic crisis were on the rise.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that some countries use cross-border terrorism as an instrument of their policy and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) must not hesitate to criticise them. "Some countries use cross-border terrorism as instrument in sync with their policy. SCO must not hesitate to criticise such countries," PM Modi said while virtually addressing the SCO summit. Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping were among those who were present at the summit hosted by India.

Kazakhstan urges closer energy cooperation within SCO

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called on Tuesday for closer energy cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) which includes Russia, China and India and is preparing to admit Iran. Tokayev told a virtual meeting of SCO leaders that Kazakhstan was ready to host an SCO energy conference and proposed developing a joint energy strategy for the organisation over the next year.

Terrorism has become a threat to regional as well as global peace. There is a need for decisive action to deal with it: PM Modi

We have to fight together against terrorism that may be in any form or manifestation: PM Modi

As chair of SCO, India has made sustained efforts to take our multifaceted cooperation to new heights: PM Modi at virtual summit

India's thousands of years old cultural and people-to-people ties with Eurasia living testimony to our shared heritage: PM Modi

Afghan soil should not be allowed to be used to destabilise neighbourhood, PM Modi says

SCO should work for welfare of Afghan people, provide humanitarian aid: PM Modi

SCO should not hesitate to condemn countries that support terrorism, PM Modi says in virtual summit

Extremely happy that Iran is joining SCO as a new member today: PM Modi

SCO has emerged as key platform for peace, prosperity, development of Eurasia: PM Modi at SCO virtual summit

We do not see the SCO as an extended neighbourhood, but rather as an extended family. Security, economic development, connectivity, unity, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and environmental protection are the pillars of our vision for SCO: PM Modi

PM Modi addresses SCO summit; Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif join virtually

With PM Modi all set to chair the SCO summit, the government is hoping to end its presidency of the Eurasian group with a consensus in the form of a joint communique that will address, among other things, issues related to counter-terrorism, de-radicalisation, connectivity, Afghanistan, energy and the need for improvement in the architecture of global governance.

India created five new pillars and focus areas of cooperation in SCO, Startups and Innovation, Traditional Medicine, Digital Inclusion, Youth Empowerment and Shared Buddhist Heritage. Two new mechanisms in SCO, Special Working Group on Startups and Innovation and Experts Working Group on Traditional Medicine, were created at India's initiative.

At the SCO Summit in Samarkand in September 2022, India took over the chairmanship of the SCO for the first time from Uzbekistan. During India's presidency, the SCO has reached new milestones in the depth and intensity of its engagements and interactions across wide-ranging sectors.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to host a virtual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Tuesday. China’s President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and other SCO leaders will participate in the virtual summit. This will be Putin’s first appearance at an international event since Russia crushed an armed rebellion by Wagner mercenaries in June. Key topics expected to be discussed include the situation in Afghanistan, the Ukraine conflict, and increased cooperation among member countries.

India joined the SCO in 2005 as an observer country and became a full member of the group at the Astana Summit in 2017, marking a watershed point in its relationship with the Organisation. In the last six years, India has taken an active and positive role in all SCO operations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will also participate in the summit. This comes at a time when the Russia-Ukraine war has completed over a year.

The theme of India's chairship of SCO- SECURE is derived from the acronym coined by PM Modi at the 2018 SCO Qingdao Summit. It stands for S: Security, E: Economic development, C: Connectivity, U: Unity, R: Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, E: Environmental protection.

The meeting of the SCO Heads of State will be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The major issues that are expected to be on the agenda include terrorism, regional security, Ukraine war and prosperity.

India is all set to virtually host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit today. The summit will witness the participation of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif.