By Geeta Mohan: India once again refused to endorse China's Belt and Road Initiative, becoming the only nation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit not to sign an agreement in support of the ambitious project.
All member nations barring India supported China's BRI in a joint declaration.
The declaration issued at the end of the summit, hosted by India, said Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan reaffirmed their support for the BRI.
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Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his opening remarks at the summit, asserted that it is essential to respect the basic principles of the SCO charter, especially the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states, while making efforts to boost connectivity.
The summit, chaired by PM Modi, was attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and other leaders of the grouping.
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