Rajnath Singh will lead the Indian delegation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation defence ministers’ meeting in Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday, with the West Asia conflict expected to influence the forum’s discussions on global peace and security.

Terrorism and the evolving security challenges amid the shifting global alignments are likely to be on the agenda, sources said.

The meeting will bring together defence leaders from India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran and other SCO member states. India is expected to reaffirm its position on tackling terrorism and underline the need to respect sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“This year’s SCO meeting is taking place in the backdrop of geopolitical turmoil being witnessed due to the situation in West Asia,” India’s defence ministry said in a statement.

“The SCO, one of the largest political and economic organisations of the region, may discuss measures to reduce the impact of the ongoing conflict.”

Rajnath is likely to hold bilateral talks with his counterparts from some of the participating countries, including Russia and China, on the sidelines of the meeting.

The SCO is an inter-governmental organisation. Its members include India, Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Belarus.

Rajnath will highlight India’s commitment to global peace and underline New Delhi’s consistent stance on zero tolerance for terrorism and extremism, the defence ministry said.