India to attend SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Astana on May 21

New Delhi [India], May 17 : The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday that India will participate in the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers that will be held in Astana, Kazakhstan on May 21.
Secretary (Economic Relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Dammu Ravi will visit Astana and represent the Indian government in the meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers on May 21.
The MEA spokesperson said that Dammu Ravi, during his visit, is also expected to hold meetings with counterparts from SCO member states and senior officials of the Kazakhstan government.
Jaiswal stated, "The announcement is in respect of our participation in the meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting which is coming up. Shri Dammu Ravi, Secretary (Economic Relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs will pay a visit to Astana, Kazakhstan on May 20- 21. In Astana, he will represent the Government of India, in the meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers on 21 May."
"The meeting will discuss preparations for the upcoming summit of the SCO Council of heads of State, review ongoing cooperation in SCO and exchange ideas on regional and global developments of common concern. During his visit, he is also expected to hold meetings with his counterparts from SCO member states and senior officials of the Government of Kazakhstan," added.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organization founded in Shanghai on 15 June 2001. The SCO currently comprises eight Member States - China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, and Iran, three Observer States - Afghanistan, Belarus, and Mongolia and six Dialogue Partners - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey.
During the weekly media briefing, Randhir Jaiswal noted that India and Taiwan have ongoing exchanges in the cultural, economic, trade, investment and scientific sectors.
On being asked whether the Indian delegation will attend the swearing-in ceremony of the Taiwan President on May 20, Jaiswal stated, "With Taiwan, we have ongoing exchanges in the cultural, economic, trade, investment and scientific fields. We will continue with these exchanges."
The inauguration of Taiwan's President-elect Lai Ching-te is scheduled to take place on May 20. Lai Chang-te will succeed Tsai Ing-wen as Taiwan's President.
The 64-year-old president-elect, who calls himself a "pragmatic worker for Taiwanese independence" will capture the attention of the international community during his inaugural address, ABC News reported.