Zee 'Interact with Expert' session: Ex-Ambassador opines Shanghai Cooperation Organisation provides a good platform for bilateral talks

New Delhi: Ambassador Mahesh Sachdeva, President, Eco-Diplomacy and Strategies Consultancy on Saturday said that Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit provides a good platform to hold bilateral talks and convey concerns between two nations. Speaking at the 'Interact with Expert' session organized by Zee Media, the former Ambassador said that India's entry into the international alliance has created hope for other nations.

The 2022 annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was held on September 15-16 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. India, which joined the bloc in 2017 along with Pakistan, participated in the summit and Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with Russia, Iran and Turkey.

"The SCO summit provides a good platform for holding bilateral talks. Suppose that if you don't meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, how will you get to know what Russia is discussing with China or how will you convey to him that a military tie between Russia and Pakistan will prove detrimental to the India-Russia relationship," said the former ambassador.

"Since the Ukraine-Russia war, the speculations have become strong in the countries like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan that Russia may try to reoccupy them. However, the entry of India into the SCO has created a balancing hope for this organisation's orientation that is often considered anti-west. India is an outlier nation for the SCO, it is a democracy and will be hosting the summit next year," Sachdeva added.  

He said that India's statement that the era of war has gone and there should be peace in this era has left the anti-Russia block delighted.

"What could be the best use of public diplomacy than this? The G20 summit and SCO summit will be held next year so India has to strike a balance," he said.

He noted that the meetings of PM Modi with Putin, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi were important given the current global scenario".