India Hosts SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting

• 29 Apr 2023

On, April 28, 2023, India hosted the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' meeting in New Delhi.

The key points of deliberations were as follows:

• Terrorism: India urged member states to collectively root out terrorism and hold its supporters accountable.
• India emphasized that any kind of terrorist act or support to it is a major crime against humanity and that peace and prosperity cannot coexist with this menace.
• Regional and International Security: The participants discussed issues of regional and international security under the charter of SCO, and expressed their "collective will to make the region secure, peaceful, and prosperous".
• China's Statement on Bilateral Talks: China, in a statement on bilateral talks between Chinese Defence Minister and Indian Defence Minister, said that the two countries share far "more common interests than differences" and urged both sides to take a long-term view, place the border issue in an appropriate position in bilateral relations, and promote the transition of the border situation to normalized management.
• Peace and Security: India emphasized that it believes in maintaining peace and security based on UN Charter provisions, and is committed towards defence capacity building of SCO member states for shared security interests.