Rajnath Singh in Kyrgyzstan for SCO defence ministers’ meet: What to expect? – The Times of India
Defence minister Rajnath Singh is in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' meeting, scheduled for Tuesday. Singh is leading a high-level delegation to the annual event.During the meeting, defence ministers of member nations are expected to discuss a range of regional security and defence issues, including counterterrorism and defence cooperation. This year's meet comes amid ongoing tensions in West Asia, and deliberations may also focus on measures to mitigate the impact of the conflict. Two member countries, Iran and Russia, are currently involved in the conflict.Singh is expected to highlight India's commitment to peace and reiterate the country's zero-tolerance stance on terrorism and extremism. He is also likely to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from participating nations. The defence minister is scheduled to interact with members of the Indian diaspora in Bishkek as well.India and China held talks under SCO bilateral consultations on April 16-17, during which the two sides agreed to continue and strengthen mutual cooperation and consultations.Last week, Singh visited Germany to strengthen defence ties and enhance coordination between the defence industries of the two countries.India has been a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation since 2017. The organisation was formed in June 2001 by the leaders of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. These nations, except Uzbekistan, were earlier part of the Shanghai-5 group formed in April 1996. India joined as an observer in 2005 and became a full-fledged member in 2017.
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