SCO Summit Day 2: Modi–Putin meeting, terrorism spotlight in joint declaration.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin enters its final day today, with focus on the joint declaration and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
India is keen to see explicit mention of the Pahalgam terror attacks in the declaration. A similar reference was missing from the SCO Defence Ministers’ statement earlier this year, which instead cited Balochistan — prompting Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to refuse to sign. On Day 1, Modi raised the issue of cross-border terrorism with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who extended support.
The Modi–Putin meeting comes against the backdrop of rising global tensions: Washington’s recent 50% tariff hike on Indian exports over Russian oil imports, Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, and Modi’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The talks are also expected to pave the way for Putin’s India visit later this year.
The joint declaration will be closely parsed for positions not only on terrorism but also on Trump’s tariff war, which has unsettled SCO members including India, China and Russia. With leaders from Indonesia and Malaysia attending, language critical of Israel’s Gaza operations could also feature.
The summit is taking place amid strained India–Pakistan ties after India’s retaliatory strikes on terror hubs in Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack. Sunday’s group photograph placed Modi alongside Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif, adding to the optics as leaders gather for the final day.
Comments are closed.