India is hosting the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit 2023 today, July 4. Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will be virtually joining Prime Minister Narendra Modi 23rd meeting of the SCO's Council of Heads of State today to discuss regional and global issues.

The SCO was established in 2001 and is an influential economic and security bloc comprising India, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan as member states. This year, Iran will also be joining the SCO as a new member.

India currently holds the rotating presidency of the SCO. 'Towards a SECURE SCO' is the Summit's theme, which was coined by PM Modi in 2018. SECURE stands for Security, Economy and Trade, Connectivity, Unity , Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and environment.

Check latest updates from the SCO Summit 2023 here:

#SCO Summit 2023: Xi Jinping calls for maintaining solidarity between member nations

"We must maintain solidarity, muytual trust is important, remove disagreements throguh dialogue. strive for partnership instead of competition," says Chinese President Xi Jinping.

#SCO Summit 2023: Kazakhastan urges for more energy cooperation within member countries

Kazakhstan President Kassym Jomart Tokayev called for closer energy cooperation within the member states. he said the country was ready to host the energy conference for SCO countries and also proposed forming a joint energy strategy for the SCO over the coming year

#SCO Summit 2023: Hybrid warfar was unleashed against us, says Putin

"Hybrid warfare was unleashed agasinst us. I would like to emphasise Russia counters all this external pressures, sanctions, etc. Our country continues to develop under the current circumstances. The entire society has demonstrated when they stood agains armed rebellion. I also want to thank the member countries," said Russian President Vladimir Putin.

#SCO Summit 2023: Pakistan gives full support to fighting terrorism, says Pak PM

"We need to fight terrorism spreading over the region and over the world. Terrorism in all.. including state terrorism, we must eradicate it, and religious minorities should not be stigmatised, dehumanised to attain political goals. Pakistan gives full support to fighting terrorism. The SCe sco countries should act together to use its potential to act together jointly," says Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif.

#SCO Summit 2023: "We must strive towards welfare for all countries," says Chinese President Xi Jinping

"The world is going through changes, challenges. transforamtions we have never seen before. Humanity faces unprecedented challenges, peace or conflict or partnership. these issues are nce again made critical, my answer is that we must strive towards welfare for all countries. we must achieve a win win situation.This is inevitable, our historical mission, and we must be loyal to that mission and we must stand together for constructive peaceful world," says Xi Jinping.

#Xi Jinping begins address at SCO Summit 2023

#SCO Summit 2023: Territorial integrity and sovereignty of SCO members needs to be protected, says PM Modi

During his opening address at the SCO Summit, PM modi also spoke about better connectivity boosts mutual cooperation and trust. He also said India can work on theChahbahar port and assist land-locked nations and explore the entire potential to boost creativity.

#SCO Summit 2023: Providing humanitarian assistance to people of Afghanistan a priority, says PM Modi

"The Afghanistan situation has direct implications on SCO member nations. We have to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghan people and this is our priority," Prime Minister Narendra Modi says.

#SCO Summit 2023: Terrorism is a threat to global peace, says PM Modi

"Terrorism is a threat to global peace. it is important to take decision to curb this. we have to fight this together. some nations are making cross border terrorism, harbour terorrists as their state policy. SCO members should come out in open to criticise such nations. also need to work in direction to stop terror funding and radicalisation," PM Modi says.

#SCO Summit 2023: Happy that Iran is joiningSCO as a member today, says PM Modi

PM Modi welcomes the MoU signing to include Belarus as a member of the SCO.

#SCO Summit: World situation is at critical junction now, says PM Modi

"In 14 ministerial meetings of SCO, we have prepared and agreed on important document on infra, de-carbonisation, digital public infrastructure. India has taken several initiatives at this forum, says PM Modi. The Prime Minister added that the world situation is at critical junction now, with food fuel, fertiliser crisis, a challenge. "We have to think together that as a forum are we capable to meet aspirations of our people and modern challenges of the world," he says.

#SCO Summit: India has tried to elevate the cooperation between members

India has categorised 5 pillars in SCO coperation: Startups and innovation, traditional medicine, youth empowerment, digital inclusion and shared buddhist heritage, says PM Modi.

#SCO Summit: PM Modi begins opening address at virtual summit

"SCO has become an important platform to propogate peace, prosperity in Asia for the last two decades. We see this area as an extended family," the Prime Minister says.

#SCO Summit: India inaugurated New Delhi Hall at SCO Secretariat in Beijing last week

Last week, India inaugurated a 'New Delhi Hall' at the headquarters of SCO in Beijing, which external affairs minister S Jaishankar said depicted a mini-India.

#SCO Summit 2023: #Watch: A look at India's first-ever SCO Chairmanship

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi shares a look at India's first-ever SCO Chairmanship

PM @narendramodi is set to virtually chair the Summit of the SCO Council of Heads of State tomorrow.