India hosts 20th session of SCO Culture Ministers' Meeting

India hosted the 20th session of the Culture Ministers' Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Monday, with Union minister G Kishan Reddy emphasising on the importance of cultural collaborations and dialogue in propagating "peaceful coexistence through mutual respect, diversity and inclusiveness".

Culture ministers of Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan participated in the meeting virtually, the Culture Ministry said in a statement.

India currently holds the presidency of the SCO.

Reddy, who holds the portfolios of culture and tourism, hosted the 20th session of Culture Ministers' Meeting of the SCO member states, the statement said.

At the end of the meeting, "the protocol was adopted and signed by all the ministers of culture of the member states of SCO", it said.

The culture ministers of member states of the SCO expressed their views for enhancing cooperation in the field of culture within the SCO framework in the purview of the agreement between the governments of the SCO member states on cooperation in the field of culture and other such agreements.

In his opening address, Reddy mentioned the historical and cultural linkages among the SCO nations.

He cited the importance of cultural collaborations and dialogue in propagating peaceful coexistence through mutual respect, diversity and inclusiveness.

The Union minister also launched a specially curated digital exhibition on shared Buddhist heritage of SCO countries on the occasion, the statement said.

Citing the aptness of India's theme of SCO chairmanship, 'SECURE' (security, economic cooperation, connectivity, unity, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and environment'), Reddy said that culture lies at the heart of this theme as a binding force that directly contributes towards achieving all these targets.

"It is only through collectively establishing a 'fair and SECURE culture for LiFE' that we can constructively contribute for overall prosperity in the region," he said.

He appreciated the participation of SCO nations including observer states and dialogue partners in the recent Conference on Shared Buddhist Heritage of SCO held on March 14-15 in New Delhi.

He highlighted the teachings of Buddha and emphasised the need of those values and practices to be adopted to renew trans-cultural links and shared histories and traditions of SCO nations.

India has hosted two SCO Senior Culture Officials Meeting on February 3 and March 31 in virtual format to discuss and formulate the papers for the SCO Culture Ministers' Meeting, the statement said.

The Ministry of Culture hosted the Conference on Shared Buddhist Heritage of SCO Member States, Observer States and Dialogue Partner in March. Buddhist scholars and delegates from SCO countries participated in the conference.

During the ongoing 'SCO Council of Heads of States' Presidency of India, SCO aims at advancing the theme of 'SECURE' articulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi initially at the SCO Summit in Qingdao in 2018, the statement said.