NEW DELHI, 30 November 2020, (TON):  India is hosting the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) virtual meeting of the heads of governments. The virtual summit will be chaired by Vice Indian President M Venkaiah Naidu. It is being participated by 7 Prime Ministers from the member states of SCO including Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Apart from the SCO member states, the four observer states of the SCO; Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia will also participate in the summit.

SCO has 8 member states and 4 observer states. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan will not participate in the summit.

 Pakistan, which is a member of SCO will be represented by the Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs. Shanghai Cooperation has potential to play its vital, important and positive role in implementing, prompting, enhancing and cooperating in the area of peace, trade, security and other bilateral issues.

The summit will end with the adoption of a joint communique.