India yet to confirm participation in proposed SCO meet; Pak, China to attend
Aug 02, 2020
New Delhi [India], Aug 2 : Russia has proposed Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers meet in Moscow on September 10, the meet will also see the participation of Pakistan and China.
According to diplomatic sources, "On the same day, Russia has also offered to host BRICS Foreign Minister's meet."
Informed sources here told ANI that this meet was scheduled during pre- COVID times and India can only confirm its participation after evaluating the current situation, as of now there is no official confirmation that India will take part in the scheduled meetings in Moscow.
If India decides to take part, this will be the first time that foreign ministers of India, Pakistan and China will come face to face in the same group ever since the conflict at Line of Actual Control (LAC) broke out between India and China.
Tensions continue to simmer at the LAC as there is still no complete disengagement at the border, 40000 Indian troops are reportedly deployed in this sector and both India and China are holding rounds of military and diplomatic talks to resolve the situation.
At the peak of India-China LAC tensions, when 20 of Indian soldiers were killed in a bloody clash with China at Galwan Valley, India had taken part in the RIC meet called by Russia in June, however that meet was confined to the subject of COVID, SCO will have a larger political agenda, therefore it remains to be seen that whether India confirms its presence or not.
India has remained averse to any talks with Pakistan and has maintained that talks and terror can't go together, hence there is a very thin chance of any dialogue between India and Pakistan even if India participates.
