Qingdao [China], June 26 (ANI): Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met his Belarusian counterpart Lieutenant General Viktor Gennadievich Khrenin on Thursday, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Qingdao, China. The bilateral engagement comes amid a series of strategic meetings Singh is holding during the two-day SCO summit.
Singh also held a separate meeting with Russian Defence Minister Andrey Belousov, continuing India’s defence diplomacy with key regional players. These interactions underscore New Delhi’s commitment to enhancing defence cooperation within the SCO framework, which comprises ten member countries.
As part of the summit proceedings, Defence Ministers visited the Qingdao International Conference Centre, the same venue where the 2018 SCO Summit was held. The ongoing SCO Defence Ministers’ Meeting (June 25–26) brings together member states to deliberate on pressing regional and global security concerns, including counter-terrorism, peacekeeping, and defence collaboration.
Upon arrival, Singh was received by Chinese Defence Minister Admiral Dong Jun, and later joined him and other participating leaders for a group photograph before the formal discussions began. Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif arrived shortly after Singh.
According to a press release by India’s Ministry of Defence, Singh’s address is expected to emphasize India’s unwavering commitment to the SCO’s founding principles and its role in promoting international peace and regional stability. He is also expected to call for unified and sustained efforts to eliminate terrorism and extremism in the region, along with greater cooperation in trade, economy, and connectivity.
India views the SCO as a crucial platform for fostering multilateralism and strengthening ties across political, economic, and people-to-people dimensions. The Defence Ministry highlighted that the SCO operates on the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, non-interference in internal affairs, and mutual respect among member states.
Founded in 2001, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has evolved into a key intergovernmental institution focusing on regional cooperation. India joined as a full member in 2017 and held the rotating SCO chairmanship in 2023. The current members include India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, and the newest entrant Belarus.
China has taken over the rotating chair for 2025 under the theme “Upholding the Shanghai Spirit: SCO on the Move.” (ANI)
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