PM Modi to Address 21st SCO Meet on Sept 17

The 21st meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's (SCO) Council of Heads of State will be held in Tajikistan's Dushanbe on September 17.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually address the plenary session of the summit, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

The meeting will be chaired by Tajikistan's President Emomali Rahmon. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will represent India in Dushanbe, the statement added.

The SCO is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. It will be the first SCO Summit being held in a hybrid format and the fourth Summit that India will participate as a full-fledged member of SCO.

At the Summit, the leaders are expected to review the organisation's activities over the past two decades and discuss the state and prospects of future cooperation.

The summit will be attended by the leaders of the SCO member states, observer states, secretary-general of the SCO, executive director of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), and other invited guests.