INTERNATIONAL: SCO Summit 2025: Diplomacy and Discord
Summit Commencement
The 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit convened in Tianjin, China, featuring prominent leaders including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Initial interactions among the heads of state involved cordial exchanges and a collective photograph session.
Bilateral Engagements
Prime Minister Modi and President Putin displayed notable affability, engaging in a handshake and embrace prior to the proceedings.
Modi subsequently disseminated images of these encounters via his X platform, emphasizing the gratification derived from such diplomatic interfaces.
He also circulated visuals of dialogues with both Xi and Putin, underscoring multilateral rapport amid the summit agenda.
Strained Indo-Pakistani Dynamics
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended the assembly, yet Modi conspicuously refrained from acknowledging him on multiple instances.
This deliberate oversight stemmed from escalated geopolitical frictions following the Pahalgam terrorist incident and Operation Sindoor.
Viral footage captured Modi and Putin proceeding together, bypassing Sharif, emblematic of persistent bilateral discord.
Putin’s Geopolitical Commentary
During the summit, President Putin alluded to the Russo-Ukrainian conflict without explicit reference to former U.S. President Donald Trump.
He commended India and China for their mediation endeavors in resolving the impasse.
Putin attributed the escalation to Western initiatives aimed at integrating Ukraine into NATO, framing it as a catalyst for regional instability.
U.S. Diplomatic Overtures
In response to the Modi-Putin interactions, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio affirmed India’s allied status via an X post.
He expressed eagerness for forthcoming bilateral consultations this month, focusing on trade, defense, and mutual concerns.
Rubio highlighted the populace-driven foundation bolstering Indo-American collaboration, signaling intent to fortify strategic partnerships.
Logistical and Symbolic Gestures
Modi and Putin arrived at the venue in a shared vehicle post-summit activities, as disclosed by Modi on X. This arrangement facilitated in-depth deliberations on pertinent issues.
Such gestures reinforced the profundity of Indo-Russian engagements within the SCO framework.
Triumph on Counter-Terrorism Agenda
India secured a significant diplomatic achievement with the SCO’s unified resolution denouncing the Pahalgam terrorist assault.
This consensus reflected India’s steadfast advocacy against terrorism, coalescing member states on security imperatives.
Historical Precedents in SCO Forums
Contrastingly, at the prior Qingdao defense ministers’ conclave, India abstained from endorsing a joint communique excluding the Pahalgam incident.
Then-Defense Minister Rajnath Singh lambasted nations employing cross-border terrorism as statecraft.
The declaration’s inclusion of the Balochistan matter, favoring Pakistan, underscored divergent stances, with India maintaining that tranquility and extremism are incompatible.