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India has invited all 10 member nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), including Pakistan, to participate in the inaugural Civilisational Dialogue Forum, scheduled to be held in New Delhi from November 20 to 22.
The invitation comes as earlier on October 20 Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced that India will host the first Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Civilisational Dialogue Forum by the end of this year, inviting all member countries to participate in the initiative aimed at strengthening cultural ties and mutual understanding. Addressing the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Singh highlighted India's longstanding friendship with Tajikistan and its close ties with Central Asian countries. "At the end of this year, India will host the first SCO Civilisation Dialogue Forum. We invite all SCO countries to participate in it," Singh said. The Defence Minister also referred to the 25-year journey of the SCO, noting that leaders had reviewed the organisation's achievements and discussed its future during the SCO Summit in Bishkek. India gives great importance to our long-standing friendship with Tajikistan and our bond with Central Asian countries. During the SCO Summit in Bishkek, our leaders had outlined the 25 years of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. That occasion was about reviewing our shared journey as well as deliberating on the path to the future, he said. Singh recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for concrete steps to strengthen security, connectivity and opportunities across the SCO region, adding that the message remained particularly relevant for the Council of Heads of Government. During his address, Singh also stressed the need for a collective and uncompromising approach to combating terrorism, describing it as one of the most serious threats to peace and development. Terrorism not only causes the loss of innocent lives but also disrupts investment and commerce. It radicalises society and deprives our youth of the opportunities they deserve, he said. Emphasising that there should be no double standards in tackling terrorism, Singh called for the dismantling of the entire ecosystem supporting the menace. There should be no double standards in dealing with terrorism, and no place for those who finance, support or provide safe havens to terrorists. The entire ecosystem of terrorism must be firmly and collectively dismantled, he added. Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar was also present during the meeting. The developments come as Pakistan formally assumed the rotating chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of State for the 2026-2027 term on September 1, 2026, taking over from Kyrgyzstan following the SCO summit in Bishkek. The SCO currently comprises 10 member states -- Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India became a full member of the organisation in 2017. The grouping also has Afghanistan and Mongolia as observer states and 15 dialogue partners. (ANI)
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