In Doklam shadow, Rajnath to attend China-led SCO meet
Union home minister Rajnath Singh will lead Indian delegation to a high-level meeting on disaster management of the Bejing-dominated security grouping, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), in Kyrgyzstan between August 23 and August 25.
India, along with Pakistan, became full members of the grouping, seen as a counter to the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) this year. And sending a senior cabinet minister to the meet sends strong message of India’s intent.
“A senior minister leading the delegation indicates how serious the Indian government is about both SCO and its relationship with its member countries, especially our Central Asian partners,” a government official said.
Home ministry sources said that the meeting, the first one India will attend after its entry into SCO, will serve as a platform for it to reach out to Central Asian member countries as well.
Russia is another important member. The Shanghai Five grouping was created in 1996 at Shanghai by heads of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan and is perceived to be dominated by Beijing, which has a considerable hold on some of the Central Asian countries that are part of SCO.
Though it is not final, Rajnath would have interactions with his counterparts on the sidelines. The visit comes amid a border stand-off between India and China in Doklam. “The main agenda of the meeting is to discuss mechanisms of dealing with natural disasters in SCO countries, but the timing of the event is significant,” said an official.
The Indian delegation will attend the meeting — Prevention and elimination of emergency situation — with an aim to spruce up its disaster resilience and also forge partnership with other SCO countries. With disaster management becoming an important area of cooperation between SCO members, India cooperating with Central Asian countries in times of calamities will help build it’s partnership in the region, an official told HT.