SCO officials attend Yoga event at Beijing as India assumes presidency of SCO Council

The Indian Embassy in Beijing, China, organised a yoga event which was attended by the officials from the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the Chinese capital. India's Ambassador to China Vikram Misri said that 'India is playing a constructive role in enriching the agenda of SCO' while thanking the SCO members during the event. This event marks the beginning of India's Chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of Government this year. India will be hosting the meeting of SCO Premieres on November 30, 2020. 

Vikram Misri: 'Yoga brings people together'

Speaking at the yoga event, Vikram Misri expressed happiness at the energetic participation of Ambassadors of SCO Missions in China and other Chinese officials. He remarked that shared history, heritage, customs, culture, ideas and interests were the reason behind India's strong bond with the SCO countries. He added that it allows the SCO member States to share culture in different fields like cinema, music, art along with yoga and benefit from them as well. India's Ambassador to China also thanked the SCO member States for supporting Indian initiatives in various sectors including economics & trade, startups, healthcare, Science & Technology and culture. 

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While talking about the growing popularity of yoga, Vikram Misri said that it 'brings people together' from across the globe. He added that yoga is India's way of contributing to strengthening cultural ties with SCO countries. Misri also expressed joy that the people of China actively practice yoga. 

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The Secretary-General of SCO, Vladimir Norov, also took part in the yoga activities while hailing applauding its role in encouraging interaction between the people of SCO countries. With the support of the SCO Secretary-General, Indian Embassy regularly organises various cultural activities, including yoga in association with the SCO Secretariat. As a part of the Qingdao Declaration in 2018, the SCO leaders had agreed to organise and celebrate International Yoga Day every year as a way to strengthen friendship, peace, mutual understanding and harmony among the countries. 

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