External affairs minister S Jaishankar will lead the Indian delegation to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Kazakhstan next month following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to skip the meeting.The Indian side had earlier confirmed PM Modi’s visit to Astana for the SCO Summit on July 3-4 and an “advance security liaison” team had also visited Kazakhstan as part of the preparations for the visit.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told a regular media briefing on Friday that the Indian delegation to the SCO Summit will be led by Jaishankar. He didn’t give any other details.
While the Indian side has not officially stated the reasons for the prime minister’s decision to skip the summit, it is understood that his preoccupation with the ongoing session of Parliament, which will continue till July 3, and the strained relations with China are among the factors that influenced the move.
The Indian side is understood to have conveyed its position to Kazakhstan when PM Modi received a phone call from President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Tuesday.