India to host SCO summit in virtual format in July

New Delhi (Reuters) – India will host a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in a virtual format in July, the external affairs ministry said on Tuesday, adding that heads of state of all members, including Russia, China and Pakistan were invited.

The eight-member bloc’s defence and foreign ministers attended in-person meetings in India earlier this year.

China’s defence minister came to India in April for a meeting of the SCO’s defence ministers, the first visit of a Chinese defence minister to India since a Himalayan border clash between the two countries’ troops in May 2020.

Pakistan’s foreign minister visited India earlier this month, but his trip did not suggest any thaw in their frosty relations.

The SCO is a political and security bloc that includes Russia and China, and India has been the chair since September.