The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a multilateral alliance among eight nations concerning political, economic, and security interests. Originally formed in 1996 by the founding members - China and Russia, the alliance was initially named Shanghai five. It was renamed SCO in 2001 on the entry of more nations into the alliance. India became a member of the SCO in 2017 along with Pakistan. The 2022 summit of SCO is held in Uzbekistan's Samarkand and is the first in-person summit since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. PM Narendra Modi is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin on the back of Russia's offer to sell oil to India at a discounted price to counter G7's price cap.