PM Modi to hold bilateral meetings with other member leaders at SCO Summit but....

New Delhi, Sept 15: Ahead of the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Uzbekistan, the Ministry of External Affairs informed that he will be holding bilateral meetings with other member leaders on the sidelines of the 22nd Summit of the Council of Heads of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States (SCO).

 

 

In a special briefing, Foreign Secretary, Vinay Kwatra said, "Besides his bilateral with the host country, PM will have bilateral with other leaders. Will keep you apprised. PM's participation in the Summit is a reflection of the importance that India attaches to the SCO & its cause" when asked about his bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

 

 

 

PM Modi will attend the summit on Friday. He is expected to have bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Samarkand. With Putin, PM Modi will discuss Russian-Indian cooperation within the UN and G20 during the SCO summit.

 

 

The FS informed that the Summit usually has 2 sessions - a restricted session, only for the SCO member states, and then an extended session likely includes participation by observers and special invitees. "Prime Minister is there for the SCO Summit for a brief period; he reaches there later tonight, and attends the restricted & extended sessions & a couple of other engagements tomorrow, along with a set of bilateral meetings. He's then scheduled to return tomorrow night," he said.

 

 

The summit would cover topical, regional and international issues, reform and expansion of SCO, the security situation in the region, cooperation perspective in the region, including strengthening connectivity, as well as boosting trade and tourism in the region. "Samarkand Declaration and numerous other documents are expected to be finalized during the summit. They are currently under consideration," said Kwatra. When asked about boat rides with other leaders, Kwatra said that PM Modi would be there (Samarkand) for a very brief period.

 

PM Modi has been leading the Indian delegation to the SCO Summit every year since India became its full member in 2017. During the last two summits in 2020 and 2021, Prime Minister participated in the virtual format. "In Samarkand, we expect full-physical format participation by all the leaders. Since, joining SCO as a full member, India has been making positive contributions to the SCO's processes, deliberations and its outcomes," said Kwatra.