New Delhi, Nov 13 China, Kazakhstan, Iran, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are among 15 countries that have confirmed participation in the SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum, Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat announced on Friday and said that he was “hopeful” that Pakistan will also attend the event that India will host in Delhi later this month.
The forum will be held at the historic Purana Quila from November 20-22, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the inaugural ceremony, he said.
During an interaction with the press at the Bharat Mandapam here ahead of the event, a mediaperson asked if India-Pakistan “issues related to terrorism” and “issues related to the border” with China would be raised during the forum.
“The concern that you have expressed in the context of our two neighbouring countries… I reckon that Pakistan’s civilisational and cultural evolution is not different from us. It is less than 80 years only since they separated from us (referring to the 1947 Partition of the Indian subcontinent); their evolution has happened parallelly with us. Therefore, there doesn’t seem to be a possibility that they will have any differences over this (cultural civilisation) subject,” the Union minister said.
He said there are geopolitical, strategic and bilateral relations, and “going a step further, (at this forum) there will be discussions on how we can reinforce a cultural relation, in coming time, and can establish a better dialogue and harmony between countries, and in between the people of the countries”.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal at the bi-weekly media briefing on Friday was asked if Islamabad has communicated any decision yet on its participation in the forum.
“Regarding your question on the invitation for the SCO Civilisational Dialogue, several countries, including the SCO members, have been invited for this dialogue, which is to take place in New Delhi, and that is where it is. We look forward to holding or hosting the this civilisational dialogue,” he said.
At the Bharat Mandapam media interaction, Shekhawat said invitations were sent to 25 countries, out of which 15 have confirmed participation.
The countries that have confirmed participation include China, Kazakhstan, Iran, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bahrain, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Cambodia, Turkiye and Sri Lanka, he said, adding that he was assured that this number will further increase.
Asked if he expected Pakistan to attend the forum, Shekhawat said, “As far as your question related to Pakistan is concerned, I should be hopeful that they would come; their confirmation will come. Rest will depend on the situation and elapsing time.”
It is learnt that Pakistan’s National Heritage and Culture Minister Aurangzeb Khan Khichi has been invited to the meeting. This is perhaps the first time that New Delhi has extended an invitation to a senior minister from Pakistan to attend an event in India after last year’s May 7-10 military hostilities following Operation Sindoor.
Foreign Office spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan at his weekly media briefing in Islamabad on November 6 confirmed that Pakistan had received an invitation from India to attend the forum.
“A final decision on participation will be made by the country’s leadership following institutional consultations,” he said.
The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017. Iran became a member in 2023.
Among the main goals of the SCO are to strengthen mutual trust, friendship and good-neighbourliness; and promote multilateral interaction to maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region, reads its website.
Besides its member countries, the SCO has some observer states and dialogue partners. There are 15 countries with SCO dialogue partner status, namely, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bahrain, Egypt, Cambodia, Qatar, Kuwait, Laos, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Sri Lanka, according to the SCO website.
The SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum is being jointly organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of External Affairs.
Shekhawat said India’s aim was to ensure that the SCO was not merely a geopolitical and economic platform but also a forum for shared civilisational heritage and human values.
The minister added that several sessions will be held on November 21 and 22 around four broad themes, including civilisational and cultural expression, art and architecture, and language, literature and manuscripts.
The forum is taking place at a time when multiple conflicts are taking place in the world.
Asked if culture can provide a way to help bring an end to a conflict, the minister said, “Culture has the strength to build trust between peoples, civilisations and countries, but it is not the only factor that can eliminate all issues and resolve all the issues and address challenges.”
“But, it has the power to initiate dialogues and build bridges of trust between countries and civilisations,” he asserted.
On Purana Quila’s selection as the venue for the forum, Shekhawat said, “Delhi’s Purana Quila, for Delhi and for the country, has been a witness to our multi-level cultural and civilisational evolution. It shows evidence of civilisations represented in multiple layers. It is an apt venue, he said, adding that it is both “relevant and important”.
(PTI News)
