"Expansion of membership might be discussed..." Former Indian diplomat ahead of SCO Summit tomorrow

New Delhi [India], July 3 : As India is set to virtually host Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, former Indian diplomat KP Fabian has said that expansion of membership could be one of the key points of discussion in the meeting tomorrow.

He said that apart from membership discussions and other key issues like Ukraine, there are chances that de-dollarisation could also be discussed in the meeting.

"They might discuss the expansion of membership and de-dollarisation...which is a very good thing for India, and for the rest of the world and even for America. But the expansion of membership can be good," Fabian told ANI.

He said there could also be a common word on Ukraine as well during the meeting.

"As China, Pakistan and Russia are set to participate, KP Fabian said, "According to me de-dollarisation will be discussed, some decisions might be made, some decisions will also be made on admitting new members to the bloc. As you know, there could also be a common word on Ukraine as well during the meeting," the former diplomat said.

"There is a benefit of virtual hosting...that it saves time. But, there's no scope for meaningful bilateral encounters," he added.

Furthermore, Fabian also said that the multilateral meeting proves beneficial because it gives an opportunity for the bilaterals.

As India will virtually host Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on Tuesday (tomorrow), it will witness the participation of President Xi Jinping of China and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The meeting of SCO Heads of State will be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The theme of India's chairship of SCO- SECURE is derived from the acronym coined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 2018 SCO Qingadao Summit.

It stands for S: Security, E: Economic development, C: Connectivity, U: Unity, R: Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, E: Environmental protection.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will also participate in the summit this week. This comes at a time when the Russia-Ukraine war has completed over a year. India has condemned the war, but has not voted against Russia at any forum.

All the SCO Member States China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have been invited to attend the Summit.

In addition, Iran, Belarus and Mongolia have been invited as Observer States. As per the SCO tradition, Turkmenistan has also been invited as the guest of the Chair. Heads of the two SCO Bodies the Secretariat and the SCO RATS will also be present.

One of the major highlights of the summit, Pakistan and China have expressed their willingness to participate in the summit. Pakistan which has been isolated globally for harbouring terrorists, is set to attend the summit. With Chinese aggression in 2020 at Galwan, there has been an ongoing stand-off and amassing of troops in large numbers at Indian positions on the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

Jinping, who will attend the virtual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) being hosted by India, will deliver important remarks at the meeting and along with other leaders chart the course for the future growth of the organization, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said in a statement.

Shehbaz Sharif will also participate in the SCO meeting. The invitation to the Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif was extended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan.

The participation of the two leaders comes at a time, when China blocked a proposal by India and the United States at the United Nations to designate Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Sajid Mir, wanted for his involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks, as a global terrorist, also drew stern criticism from New Delhi.

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.

At the SCO Summit in Samarkand in September 2022, India took over the chairmanship of the SCO for the first time from Uzbekistan.

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