ANI
17 Mar 2023, 00:18 GMT+10
New Delhi [India], March 16 (ANI): Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Chair India sent an invitation to SCO nations including Pakistan for the SCO meeting to be held in New Delhi in April this year. However, the Ministry of External Affairs has received no confirmation on the subject, said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on Thursday.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Minister meet is going to be held in the Indian Capital, New Delhi in April.
Defence Minister of all SCO states, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are sent invitations for the Defence Ministers' meeting including Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif.
"We are the SCO chair and we will invite all SCO members to the events that are inter-governmental," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
"Being the SCO chair, various invitations are being sent but whether or not they (Pakistan) have accepted it yet, I dont know about it. Neither do I follow each and every such small piece of information," Bagchi said while speaking to the media on Thursday.
With India currently holding the Presidency of the SCO, it is set to host a series of meetings this year.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation comprises China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
India has also sent invitations to Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for the SCO foreign ministers' meeting that will be held in May.
SCO is an important transregional organization that aims to strengthen economic linkages and cooperation among its Member States in different fields. Every year, SCO develops a calendar of activities, which includes the Meeting of the Foreign Ministers.
India has formally sent invitations to all members of the SCO including Pakistan and China for the upcoming foreign ministers' meeting which will be held in Goa from May 4-5.
The invitation includes invites to the new Foreign Minister of China Qin Gang and Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto.
India took over the chairmanship of the 9-member mega grouping in September last year and will be holding key ministerial meetings and the summit this year.
Relations between the two countries have been precarious for many years with regard to issues of cross-border terrorism from Pakistan, even as Islamabad has been seeking the restoration of Article 370 for the former Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir for any talks.
Moreover, Pakistan has been trumpeting the Kashmir issues at all international forums without any support coming.
Recently, India slammed Pakistan on the issue of the religious freedom of minorities at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
Using its right to reply, India's representative Seema Pujani slammed her Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar saying, "No religious minority can freely live or practice its religion in Pakistan today. The Ahmadiya community continues to be persecuted by the state for simply practising their faith. (ANI)
Get a daily dose of Afghanistan Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Afghanistan Sun.
More InformationTEGUCIGALPA, Honduras: In what could signal the end of his country's decades-long relations with Taiwan, Honduran foreign minister Eduardo Enrique ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: A new US Congressional committee focusing on China held its second hearing on the alleged abuses of the ...
SAN FRANCISCO, California: A new round of extreme winter weather that hit California, also drifted into neighboring Southwest states, with ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: After several high-profile near collision incidents, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a safety alerts to ...
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Two Cambodian opposition figures--- Yim Sinorn and Hun Kosal--- have been charged under the country's rarely used ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: The US Supreme Court has ruled that a deaf student in Michigan can sue his public school district, ...
KABUL, Afghanistan: Afghanistan's education ministry has announced that the country's school year has begun, but the United Nations children's agency, ...
Hong Kong, March 27 (ANI): Chairman Xi Jinping, China's paramount leader for life, arrived in Moscow on March 20 to ...
Mysuru (Karnataka) [India], March 27 (ANI): Six Indian players qualified for the main draw of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) ...
Sharjah [UAE], March 27 (ANI): Pakistan stand-in skipper and all-rounder Shadab Khan believes plenty of positives will come from his ...
Kabul [Afghanistan], March 27 (ANI): Despite recent diplomatic efforts, the relationship between Pakistan and the Taliban is expected to face ...
Islamabad - Taliban authorities in Afghanistan said Monday that a suicide bomb blast outside the foreign ministry in the capital, ...