- India hosts SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum in Delhi.
- Several nations confirm participation, Pakistan invited to forum.
- PM Modi to inaugurate forum discussing diverse cultural themes.
India is set to host the SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum from November 20 to 22 at Delhi’s historic Purana Qila. China, Kazakhstan, Iran, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, among other countries, have confirmed their participation in the event.
Ahead of the forum, Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Friday (November 13, 2026) expressed hope that Pakistan would also confirm its participation and join the platform.
Speaking to the media at Bharat Mandapam, Shekhawat said India had invited Pakistan to the international forum in recent days. India-Pakistan relations have remained strained.
PM Modi To Inaugurate SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum
Shekhawat said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the inaugural ceremony on November 20. Several sessions will be held on November 21 and 22, focusing on four main themes, including civilisational and cultural expressions, art and architecture, and language, literature and manuscripts.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) was established in 2001 during a summit in Shanghai by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
India, Pakistan Became Permanent Members In 2017
India and Pakistan became permanent members of the SCO in 2017, while Iran joined the organisation in 2023.
According to the SCO website, the organisation’s key objectives include strengthening mutual trust, friendship and good-neighbourly relations among member states, as well as promoting multilateral dialogue to maintain peace, security and stability in the region.
Shekhawat said India’s aim was to ensure that the SCO does not remain limited to being a geopolitical and economic platform but also emerges as a forum for shared civilisational heritage and human values.
15 Countries Are SCO Dialogue Partners
Apart from its member states, the SCO has observer states and dialogue partners. According to the organisation’s website, it has 15 dialogue partners: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bahrain, Egypt, Cambodia, Qatar, Kuwait, Laos, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Sri Lanka.
Asked about the countries that have confirmed their participation in the forum, Shekhawat said invitations had been sent to 25 countries, of which 15 had confirmed their attendance.
The countries that have confirmed participation include China, Kazakhstan, Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bahrain, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Sri Lanka.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: abplive.com
