Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends SCO Summit in Uzbekistan

Samarkand: Along with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and leaders of the other member states of the influential grouping, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was present at the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on Friday. Xi and Modi met in person for the first time since the border standoff between China and India grew more serious after the deadly altercation in June 2020’s Galwan Valley.

The summit is also being attended by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and leaders of several central Asian countries. Ahead of the deliberations at the restricted format of the summit, leaders of the permanent members of the grouping posed for a group photo. At the venue of the summit, Modi was warmly greeted by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

After the summit, Prime Minister Modi is set to have separate bilateral meetings with Russian President Putin, Uzbek President Mirziyoyev and Iranian President Raisi. Modi arrived here on Thursday night on an around 24-hour visit.

Hours before departing for Samarkand, Modi said he was looking forward to exchanging views at the summit on topical regional and international issues as well as on reform and expansion of the grouping “At the SCO Summit, I look forward to exchanging views on topical, regional and international issues, the expansion of SCO and further deepening of multifaceted and mutually beneficial cooperation within the Organisation,” Modi said.

“Under the Uzbek chairship, a number of decisions for mutual cooperation are likely to be adopted in areas of trade, economy, culture and tourism,” he said. The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Over the years, it has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations. India and

Pakistan became its permanent member in 2017. Iran is likely to be given the status of a permanent member of the SCO at the Samarkand summit.

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