Modi to chair virtual SCO Summit today with Shehbaz Xi Jinping in attendance

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the virtual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on Tuesday, with his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif and Chinese President Xi Jinping in attendance.

Besides China and Pakistan, the virtual summit which will be attended by the other SCO member states including Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

India currently holds the SCO Presidency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will also be present at the summit. This will be his first appearance at an international forum after Russia crushed a coup attempt by the Wagner mercenary group late last month.

The meeting is expected to discuss key issues like terrorism, regional security and prosperity.

The theme of the SCO summit is 'SECURE' -- S: Security; E: Economic development; C: Connectivity; U: Unity; R: Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity; E: Environmental protection.

Other than the member countries, Iran, Belarus and Mongolia have also been invited as Observer States.

According to the SCO tradition, Turkmenistan has also been invited as the guest of the Chair.