The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Defence Ministers Meeting will be presided over by RakshaMantriShri Rajnath Singh on April 28, 2023 in New Delhi. There will be participation from the defence ministers of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India has extended invitations to Belarus and Iran, two current SCO observers, to attend the meeting of the defence ministers. Pakistan’s defence minister would take part virtually.The Ministers will talk about regional peace and security issues, SCO counterterrorism initiatives, and effective multilateralism. On April 27 and 28, 2023, RakshaMantri will meet individually with the attending Defence Ministers to address bilateral defense-related issues as well as other topics of shared interest.
India and the SCO member nations have long-standing cultural, spiritual, and civilizational ties. India’s 2017 SCO membership was a reaffirmation of New Delhi’s desire to strengthen these long-standing connections.India views the SCO as a crucial regional organisation for fostering regional multilateralism in politics, security, trade, and human relations. India keeps coming up with new suggestions and projects to improve collaboration among the SCO nations. Under its Chairmanship, India sponsored two defense-related events this year to improve cooperation among SCO members. The first was a workshop on disaster relief and humanitarian aid, while the second was a seminar of defence think tanks from SCO nations on how the armed forces can help with military medicine, healthcare, and pandemics. India is dedicated to advancing the SCO’s agenda under its chairmanship
