Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on Friday, called on the SCO to develop reliable and resilient supply chains to offset the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis and said better connectivity and granting “full rights” of transit facilities by member states is important to achieve the goal.
With Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other leaders of the bloc listening, Modi said the pandemic and the Ukraine crisis have caused many disruptions in global supply chains, leaving the world facing “unprecedented” energy and food crises.
The role of SCO has thus become very important, he said, as the SCO member countries contribute about 30 per cent to global GDP, and 40 per cent of the world’s population also resides in member countries of the grouping.
Referring to food insecurity across the globe, the prime minister pitched for promotion of the cultivation and consumption of millets. He said that this superfood is a “traditional, nutritious and low-cost alternative to the food crisis.”
The prime minister said the SCO should consider organising a ‘Millet Food Festival’.
In his address at the summit of the eight-member grouping in this historic Uzbek city, Modi said the Indian economy is expected to grow at 7.5 per cent this year and that India supports “greater cooperation and mutual trust” among the SCO member states.
He said that India is focusing a lot on the proper use of technology in its people-centric development model and also supporting innovations in all sectors. He said that India is “ready to share our experience with the member countries of SCO by establishing a new Special Working Group on Startups and Innovation.”
The prime minister said India today is one of the most affordable destinations for medical and wellness tourism in the world.
“The WHO Global Center for Traditional Medicine was inaugurated in Gujarat in April 2022. This will be the WHO’s first and only Global Center for Traditional Medicine.” Modi said. He said that the SCO countries should cooperatively build a new SCO Working Group on Traditional Medicine.
Later in the day Uzbekistan handed over the rotating presidency of the eight-member Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to India. India will now host 2023 SCO summit as chairman.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif were among the attendees of the SCO in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. (Photo credit: PIB New Delhi)
It was the first time Modi and Xi came face-to-face at the summit in Samarkand since the start of the border standoff between India and China in eastern Ladakh around 28 months back.
The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Over the years, it has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017.
Iran is likely to be given the status of a permanent member of the SCO at the Samarkand summit.
