Rajnath Singh likely to meet Tajik counterpart in Dushanbe during SCO meet

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will attend the annual meeting of the Defence Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

According to the Defence Ministry, Singh will embark on a 3-day visit to Dushanbe today.

In the annual meeting, defence cooperation issues among SCO member states are discussed and a communique is expected to be issued after the deliberations. Singh's address at the meeting is slated for July 28, 2021.

During his visit to Dushanbe, the Defence Minister is also expected to meet his Tajik counterpart Col Gen Sherali Mirzo to discuss bilateral issues and other issues of mutual interest.

It may be recalled that Tajikistan is chairing the SCO this year and hosting series of Ministerial and official-level meetings.

Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar was in Dushanbe for the Meeting of Council of Foreign Ministers of SCO States. Jaishnakar had met his Chinese counterpart and held a one-hour-long bilateral meeting with him.

During the meeting, EAM conveyed that that unilateral change of status quo of the border area is not acceptable to India.

( With inputs from ANI )