Temple City Varanasi: The first-ever SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital

The first-ever SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital: At the 22nd Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization(SCO) Council of Heads of State Summit approved temple city Varanasi as the first-ever SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital for the year 2022-2023. The SCO Summit was held in Samarkand, a city in Uzbekistan on September 15 and 16 in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi represented India. Tourism, Cultural and Humanitarian Exchanges between India and the SCO member Countries will get enhanced through the step taken by the SCO Member States. This also highlights that the ancient civilization of India had links with the SCO Member States, particularly with the Central Asian Republics.

Temple City Varanasi: The first-ever SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital

• Vinay Kwatra, the Foreign Secretary confirmed the news through a press conference that Varanasi has been assigned as the first ever SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital.
• Vinay Kwatra said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked all the member states for certifying Varanasi as the first ever SCO tourist and cultural capital for the forthcoming year 2022-2023.
• For the year 2022-23 Uzbekistan rendered the Rotating Presidency to India.
• The Uttar Pradesh Government in collaboration with the centre will organize several events in Varanasi to celebrate the achievement.
  The recognition of Varanasi as the first ever SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital will be a gateway for greater cultural and people-to-people ties between India and the region.
• Guests from SCO Member States will be invited in the event and it will prove to be a attraction for Indologists, scholars, authors, musicians, artists, photo journalists, travel bloggers, etc. as proclaimed by the Ministry of External Affairs.
• At the Dushanbe SCO Summit in 2021 the regulations for the nomination of the SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital were endorsed. This was done to enhance cooperation between the SCO Member States in the field of culture and tourism.
• The permanent membership of SCO was given to Belarus and Iran in the summit.

Temple City Varanasi: The first-ever SCO Tourism and Cultural Capital in Hindi

SCO

• The largest trans-regional International Organizations
• Full Form: Shanghai Cooperation Organization
• Headquarters: Beijing, China
• Founded: 15 June 2001
• Founders: China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan.
• Member States: China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, India, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus.
• Purpose: To make sure that security and stability are maintained in Eurasian Region, join forces so that the emerging challenges and threats are prevented, and strengthen trade as well as cultural and humanitarian cooperation.
• India joined SCO on 9th June 2017. 

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