India is set to take the lead for a shared Buddhist heritage in Eurasia at the SCO foreign ministers’ meet on Friday. ET has learnt that India will pitch itself as the land from which Buddhism spread across the region amid China’s efforts to claim the legacy.

The SCO Council of Foreign Ministers will also formalise Iran’s entry to the grouping at the summit due in July and deliberate on launching the process for the entry of Belarus. Besides, the foreign ministers will also focus on the entry of India’s neighbours, the Maldives and Myanmar, and extended neighbours, Bahrain and Kuwait, as SCO partners, ET has learnt.

The theme of India’s SCO presidency in 2023 is ‘Secure-SCO’. India attaches special importance to the SCO in promoting multilateral, political, security, economic and people-to-people interactions in the region.

“The ongoing engagement with SCO has helped India promote its relations with the countries in the region with which India has shared civilisational linkages, and is considered India’s extended neighbourhood,” said an official.

At the meeting, external affairs minister S Jaishankar will also seek to promote startups and share India’s best practices in the sector with SCO member countries. Inclusive connectivity like INSTC and the Chabahar Port for access to Eurasia that does not violate sovereignty like China’s BRI and CPEC will be among India’s key selling points at the SCO. On the agenda for the SCO under India’s presidency will also be modernisation of the grouping with a focus on advanced technology and digital infrastructure.