China, Kazakhstan, Iran, others confirm participation in SCO Civilisational Forum, says Gajendra Shekhawat

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Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. File photo | Photo Credit: ANI

China, Kazakhstan, Iran, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are among the countries that have confirmed participation in the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) Civilisational Dialogue Forum, which India will host at the historic Purana Quila here from November 20-22, Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said on Friday (November 13, 2026).

Interacting with the media at the Bharat Mandapam in Delhi ahead of the event, Mr. Shekhawat said he remained "hopeful" that Pakistan would also confirm its participation and attend the forum.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the inaugural ceremony on November 20, while 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 Minister 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.

Mr. 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.

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.

Asked to name some of the countries which have confirmed participation, Mr. Shekhawat said invitations were sent to 25 countries, out of which 15 have confirmed participation.

Countries which have confirmed participation include China, Kazakhstan, Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Bahrain, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Sri Lanka, he said.

He asserted that culture has the power to initiate dialogues and build bridges of trust between countries and civilisations.

The SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum is being jointly organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of External Affairs.

India has invited all the member nations of the SCO, including Pakistan, for the grouping's Civilisational Dialogue Forum to be held in the national capital next month, the MEA had said on October 28.

It is learnt that Pakistan's National Heritage and Culture Minister Aurangzeb Khan Khichi has been invited to the meeting.

It is perhaps for 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.

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