Varanasi receives honour as cultural and tourism capital of SCO

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

The holy city of Varanasi upholding India’s traditions and culture for several years will be affirmed as the primary “Cultural and Tourism Capital” of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, said Zhang Ming, the Secretary General of the bloc.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, with its headquarters in Beijing, is an eight-member economic and safety coalition including China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, India and Pakistan.

Zhang said that Varanasi will turn out to be the “Cultural and Tourism Capital” of the SCO for the period of 2022-23. It would be part of a new rotating plan by the organization to prop up contacts between people-to-people and tourism between the member states.

Zhang said that they are ready to apply a revolving method. They will revolve the title of Cultural and Tourism Capital among the member states. He added that Varanasi, which is India’s very old city, will be the first to be conferred the designation.

As part of this plan, each year, a city of the cultural tradition of a member country that will conquer the rotating Presidency of the organization will receive the designation to emphasize its importance, said Zhang.

Zhang stressed the organization’s new plans before 2022’s Heads of the State meeting of the SCO slated to be held this year at Samarkand in Uzbekistan on September 15-16. This new scheme will come into effect after the Samarkand meeting, after which, India will receive the Presidency and organize the next Heads of the State summit.

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