Beijing, July 15 -- External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Tuesday said that India has taken the lead in promoting innovation, startups, traditional medicine, and digital public infrastructure within the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Sharing the highlights of his participation at the SCO Foreign Ministers' Meeting through a post on X, Jaishankar said India remains open to new ideas that genuinely benefit the region, but stressed that cooperation must be built on mutual respect, equal sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

"India has taken several initiatives in the SCO in domains ranging from startup and innovation to traditional medicine and digital public infrastructure. We will continue to positively approach new idea...