SCO meet: Russia, China, Iran to attend; minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat 'hopeful' of Pakistan's participation

New Delhi: The inaugural Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Civilisational Dialogue Forum, to be hosted by India at Delhi's Purana Qila from November 20-22, will see participants from countries including Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Iran, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Russia is deputing a high-level delegation from its culture ministry to attend the event, according to Moscow-based people familiar with the matter.

Union culture minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said on Friday he remained "hopeful" that Pakistan would also confirm its participation and attend the forum. India has invited Pakistan's national heritage and culture minister Aurangzeb Khan Khichi to the event.

Fifteen nations have confirmed their attendance at the forum, according to Shekhawat, with Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bahrain, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Sri Lanka among those set to take part. Invitations were sent to 25 countries, he said.


Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the inaugural ceremony on November 20. Subsequent sessions taking place over the next two days will focus on four broad themes, including civilisational and cultural expression, art and architecture, and language, literature and manuscripts, the minister said.

Shekhawat said that India aims to ensure that the SCO operates not merely as a geopolitical and economic platform, but also as a forum for shared civilisational heritage and human values. He asserted that culture has the power to initiate dialogue and build bridges of trust between countries and civilisations. The SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum is being jointly organised by the ministries of culture and external affairs.

The SCO comprises 10 member states-Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It has two observer states, Afghanistan and Mongolia.