SCO Foreign Ministers Meet begins in Astana, observes moment of silence for late Iranian President, FM

New Delhi/Astana, May 22 (FN Agency) The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers Meeting began in Astana, Kazakhstan, today. India is being represented by Dammu Ravi, Secretary (Economic Relations) in the Ministry of External Affairs. The SCO meet observed a moment of silence in the memory of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and other officials who died in a chopper crash on Sunday. Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy Mehdi Safari is representing his country. Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian was to attend the SCO meeting in Astana.Iran became a permanent member of the SCO in July last year. Kazah President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during his meeting with the SCO Ministers said that his country is making every effort to enhance the potential of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) during its chairmanship.

Tokayev thanked the participating countries for supporting Kazakh initiatives and for their fruitful joint work, highlighting the hosting of over 100 large-scale events, including digital, tourism, and energy forums. He noted significant projects nearing completion, such as the Spiritual Sanctuaries project, and the declaration of 2024 as the SCO Year of Environment on Kazakhstan’s initiative. He emphasized ongoing preparations for additional events in energy, transport, and culture, and underscored the importance of the upcoming Astana SCO summit. President Tokayev highlighted that over 20 related documents have been submitted to the Council of Heads of State for consideration, expressing confidence in their effective implementation to strengthen the comprehensive partnership within the SCO.