Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit to be held in Qingdao on June 9 and 10

[Hindustani78]

Ministry of Culture
18-May, 2018 17:01 IST
Dr Mahesh Sharma leads the Indian Delegation to the SCO Cultural Ministers’ Meeting in Sanya, China; India participates in the Cultural Ministers’ Meet for first time as full time member

India attaches special importance to SCO in promoting multilateral, cultural, political, security, economic and people-to-people interaction in the region: Dr Mahesh Sharma.

Minister of State for Culture(I/c), Dr Mahesh Sharma along with other CultureMinisters of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states at the 15th Meeting of Cultural Ministers of the SCO in Sanya, China.


The Minister of State for Culture, Dr Mahesh Sharma led the Indian delegation to the 15th Meeting of the Cultural Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization(SCO) Member States held in Sanya, Hainan province, on 16th and 17thMay, 2018. India participated for the first time at the Meeting of Cultural Ministers of the SCO.

Speaking at the meet, Minister of State for Culture, Dr. Mahesh Sharma said that India has a long history of cultural exchanges with China and other SCO member states. Joining the SCO has provided a new platform, greater space and opportunities for exchanges and cooperation, the Culture Minister added.

Dr. Mahesh Sharma highlighted the role of culture in bringing the people together. It is a binding force in the development of peaceful coexistence for humanity, the Minister explained. He further added that it will be a win-win situation for China and India - both of which have a rich and diversified culture - to further explore and develop wider cultural exchanges and cooperation that could include tourism, education, science, archaeology, music, drama and even yoga.

Key discussions of the SCO meeting focused on achieving more in-depth and creative multilateral cultural cooperation and promoting regional cultural cooperation and mutual understanding of the people.

All participants agreed that cultural cooperation between SCO member states made remarkable progress in the past year, and reports presented at the meeting about diversified exchanges and cooperation clearly showed that bilateral and multilateral cooperation is growing deeper and wider.

The two-day meeting concluded with the issuance of the 2018-20 Executive Plan. The representatives also joined in a news release welcoming India and Pakistan into the SCO and encouraging more direct contacts and practical exchanges of cultural organizations within SCO member states, as well as joint creation of cultural products and works.

India became full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on 9th June, 2017 during the SCO Heads of State Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan. At this Summit, the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi had stated that from the regional and global perspective, Shanghai Cooperation Organization is one of the main pillars of peace and security.

India has been participating in Cultural initiatives undertaken by SCO like nominating World Heritage sites for the SCO-UNESCO exhibition proposed to be held in Paris in September, 2018 and signing of MoU between SCO and UNESCO.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an eight-member multilateral organization, established on 15 June 2001 in Shanghai, China by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.Pakistan also became the full member of SCO along with India, taking its membership to 8.After the expansion of membership, SCO represents approximately 42% of the world’s population, 20% of its GDP and 22% of the landmass.

The main objectives of the SCO are to strengthen relations among member states; promote cooperation in various fields like political affairs, economics, and education, culture, tourism, environment protection etc. and promote regional peace , security, and stability among others.



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[Hindustani78]

Prime Minister's Office
20-May, 2018 17:14 IST
PM’s statement prior to his departure to Russia

Following is the text of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi’s departure statement prior to his visit to Russia.

“Greetings to the friendly people of Russia. I look forward to my visit to Sochi tomorrow and my meeting with President Putin. It is always a pleasure to meet him.

Am confident the talks with President Putin will further strengthen the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia.”

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[Hindustani78]

https://www.hindustantimes.com/indi...ays-pm-modi/story-7fxtjTEqzovXCPhiLdxN7J.html

Ahead of Sochi visit, PM Modi says confident talks with Putin will strengthen India-Russia ties

In a series of tweets -- in Russian and then in English -- on the eve of his visit to Russia, Modi said he looked forward to his meeting with Putin.
india Updated: May 20, 2018 19:05 IST
Press Trust of India, New Delhi


Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday voiced the hope his talks with President Vladimir Putin would further strengthen the “special and privileged” strategic partnership between India and Russia.

In a series of tweets -- in Russian and then in English -- on the eve of his visit to Russia, Modi said he looked forward to his meeting with Putin.

“Greetings to the friendly people of Russia. I look forward to my visit to Sochi tomorrow and my meeting with President Putin. It is always a pleasure to meet him,” Modi tweeted.

During their informal summit in the Russian city of Sochi on Monday, the two leaders will primarily focus on global and regional issues, including the impact of the US decision to withdraw from a nuclear deal with Iran.

“Am confident the talks with President Putin will further strengthen the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia,” Modi said in another tweet.

Official sources said the two leaders would meet for 4-6 hours for the “agendaless” talks where deliberations on bilateral issues were likely to be limited.

They said the issues on the table might include the economic impact on India and Russia in the wake of the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, the situation in Afghanistan and Syria, the threat of terrorism and matters relating to the upcoming SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) and BRICS summits.

The sources said the possible impact of the US sanctions against Russia under the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) on Indo-Russia defence cooperation may also figure during the talks between Modi and Putin.

India is not going to allow its defence engagement with Russia to be dictated by any other country, the sources said, adding New Delhi has been lobbying with the Trump administration on the issue.

The aim of the informal summit is to use the friendship and trust between the two countries to create convergence on key global and regional issues, the sources said.

The two leaders may also deliberate on extending the Indo-Russia civil nuclear cooperation to third countries, possible areas for cooperation for the International North-South Transport Corridor project, India’s engagement with the five-nation Eurasian Economic Union and the situation in the Korean peninsula.

 

[Hindustani78]

https://www.hindustantimes.com/indi...-xi-jinping/story-jRbutxBL1a4hiF41y954YO.html

India, Pakistan entry into SCO increased potential for cooperation, says China’s Xi Jinping

Xi Jinping says when Shanghai Cooperation Organisation accepted Pakistan and India last year as new members, it gained more potential for cooperation and more expectations from the international community.

india Updated: May 23, 2018 14:50 IST
Press Trust of India, Beijing

India’s defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman with other ministers at Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's defence ministers' meeting in Beijing on Tuesday. (PTI file photo)

Chinese President Xi Jinping has said with the entry of India and Pakistan, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) has gained more potential for cooperation and more expectations from the international community.

In his address to the representatives to the 13th meeting of Security Council Secretaries of the SCO on Tuesday, Xi said maintaining regional security and stability has been the top priority of the bloc since it was founded.

“The members have fought the ‘three evil forces’ of terrorism, separatism and extremism; prevented the overflow of negative effects from hot issues; and made important contributions to keeping regional peace, development and prosperity,”

Xi pointed out that when the SCO accepted Pakistan and India last year as new members, it gained more potential for cooperation and more expectations from the international community.

Deputy National Security Adviser Rajinder Khanna, Pakistan’s NSA Nasser Khan Janjua along with top security officials of the SCO member countries called on Xi after the conclusion of their two-day meeting in Beijing on Tuesday.

The security officials met ahead of the SCO summit in the Chinese city of Qingdao to be held on June 9-10. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to take part in the summit.

It will be the first summit of the SCO after India and Pakistan were admitted into the bloc last year.

The SCO, in which China plays an influential role, is comprised of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Pakistan.

Khanna, who is also the Secretary of the National Security Council Secretariat, today called on Xi along with other Secretaries of National Security Councils attending the meeting.

In his address to the SCO security officials, Xi said the member countries have expanded areas of cooperation and enriched their experience in cooperation.

“Numerous challenges remain, including the ‘three evil forces’ plus drug smuggling and cross-border organised crime, each of which threatens the region. The risks require SCO members to handle the issues properly through correct judgments,” he said.

The SCO members should uphold the strategic direction of security cooperation, continue to boost mutual strategic trust, enhance coordination of policy, uphold justice and jointly push the resolution of regional hot issues through political and diplomatic measures, Xi said.

Xi called on the other SCO members to build up their capacity for joint security operations and build an efficient law-enforcement cooperation network.

China will continue to integrate its national security with regional security, work with SCO members to build a new type of international relations with features of mutual respect, justice and win-win cooperation; and push to build a community of shared future for mankind, Xi said.

The SCO security officials during their meeting discussed with Xi issues like fighting terrorism and the “three evil forces”, beefing up information security and maintaining social stability, the report said.

China’s Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi who presided over the SCO security officials meeting told reporters that the representatives reached important consensuses during the meeting.

The relevant sides have agreed to submit such documents as enhancing cooperation in fighting the “three evil forces” to the SCO summit in Qingdao for further approval, he said.