New Delhi Preparing for Landmark Cultural Summit

India is all set to host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's (SCO) inaugural Civilisational Dialogue Forum in New Delhi. Scheduled to run from November 20 to 22, the high-level event will bring together delegates, scholars, and officials from more than 25 countries to deliberate on shared heritage and cultural diplomacy.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate the three-day multilateral gathering, which will take place at the historic 16th-century monument, Purana Quila. The selection of the venue reflects India's intent to showcase its deep-rooted historical continuum while hosting contemporary international delegations.

High-Level Representation and Regional Engagement

Diplomatic sources have confirmed that culture ministers from all 10 SCO member states—including Russia, China, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, and Belarus—alongside representatives from observer and dialogue partner nations, have received formal invitations.

Significantly, Pakistan's Minister for National Heritage and Culture, Aurungzeb Khan Khichi, is among those invited to participate. As of now, Islamabad has not yet officially confirmed its representation at the forum. Should Minister Khichi attend, it would mark the first visit by a Pakistani cabinet member to India since the SCO foreign ministers' meeting in Goa in 2023, which was attended by then-Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto.

Despite historically strained bilateral ties, New Delhi and Islamabad have maintained functional engagement within multilateral frameworks like the SCO. Last year, Indian diplomatic officials traveled to Islamabad for coordination meetings ahead of regional summits, underscoring India's commitment to multilateral cooperation.

Focus on Heritage, Education, and Shared Values

Organized jointly by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of External Affairs, the forum stems from a proposal originally tabled by Prime Minister Modi during the SCO leaders' summit in Tianjin earlier. The initiative was subsequently adopted unanimously by the bloc.

The agenda for the three-day symposium centers on deepening civilisational linkages, expanding cultural diplomacy, and fostering collaborative initiatives across education, heritage preservation, and traditional knowledge systems.

As geopolitical tensions often overshadow regional diplomacy, Daily News 365 understands that this cultural outreach serves as a crucial bridge for people-to-people exchanges and mutual understanding across Eurasia.