PM Modi to host virtual SCO summit; Xi Jinping, Putin, Sharif among key participants

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host Chinese President Xi Jinping, his Russia counterpart Vladimir Putin, Pakistan's Shehbaz Sharif and or leaders of SCO nations at a virtual summit of bloc on Tuesday that is expected to focus on regional security situation and ways to boost connectivity and trade.

It will be Putin's first participation in a multilateral summit after a mercenary group launched a short-lived armed rebellion last week that rocked Moscow.

summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) under India's presidency is also set to welcome Iran as new permanent member of grouping.

situation in Afghanistan, Ukraine conflict and enhancing cooperation among SCO member countries are expected to figure in summit, people familiar with matter said, adding boosting connectivity and trade is also likely to be discussed.

summit is also taking place against backdrop of over three-year eastern Ladakh border standoff between Indian and Chinese troops, and two weeks after Prime Minister Modi's high-profile visit to US.

SCO, comprising India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, is an influential ecomic and security bloc and has emerged as one of largest transregional international organisations.

India assumed rotating chairmanship of SCO at Samarkand Summit of SCO on September 16 last year.

Heads of two SCO bodies -- secretariat and SCO RATS (Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure) are also set to attend Tuesday's virtual summit whose me is "Towards a SECURE SCO'.

SECURE acronym was coined by Prime Minister Modi at 2018 SCO summit and it stands for Security; Ecomy and Trade; Connectivity; Unity; Respect for Sovereignty and Territorial Integrity; and Environment.

Heads of six international and regional organisations have also been invited to summit.

organisations are UN, ASEAN (Association of Souast Asian Nations), CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States), CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organisation), EAEU (Eurasian Ecomic Union) and CICA (Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia).

India's presidency of SCO saw significant activities in a number of areas. New Delhi created five new pillars for cooperation in SCO. se are startups and invation, traditional medicine, digital inclusion, youth empowerment and shared Buddhist herit.   special working group on startups and invation and experts working group on traditional medicine were created on India's initiative.

"We intend to contribute substantially in both se areas," said one of people cited above.

To furr Prime Minister Modi's vision of Vasudhaiv Kutumbakom (world is one family), India emphasised on building greater people-to-people connect, person said.

A number of signature events were held under Indian presidency with intention to furr deepen people to people connect.

India's association with SCO began in 2005 as an observer country. It became a full member state of SCO at Astana summit in 2017.

India has shown a keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with SCO and its RATS, which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.

SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Pakistan became its permanent member along with India in 2017.