Event Overview:
On June twenty five and twenty six, two thousand twenty five, the twenty second Defence Ministers’ Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was held in Qingdao, China. The meeting took place under China’s two thousand twenty five Chairmanship and followed the theme Upholding the Shanghai Spirit: SCO on the Move.
Participants and Importance:
The meeting included defence ministers from all ten SCO member countries. Prominent attendees were SCO Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev and the Director of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure Executive Committee Ularbek Sharsheev.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh led the Indian delegation. His visit was significant as it marked the first time an Indian Defence Minister visited China since the June two thousand twenty Galwan Valley incident.
Important Developments from the Meeting:
Point one. Union Minister Rajnath Singh held bilateral discussions with Chinese Defence Minister Admiral Dong Jun. This was their second meeting after the disengagement agreement on Eastern Ladakh in October two thousand twenty four.
Point two. Rajnath Singh strongly condemned the terrorist attack that occurred on April twenty two, two thousand twenty five in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The attack was conducted by The Resistance Front, a proxy of Lashkar e Taiba.
Point three. India chose not to sign the final joint statement of the meeting. The decision was due to inadequate condemnation of cross-border terrorism by the SCO.