Samarkand (Uzbekistan): Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here tonight on a visit to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, on the sidelines of which he will hold bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and some other leaders.
He will attend the Summit tomorrow morning, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said earlier today in New Delhi.
During the two-day SCO summit, PM will exchange views on various topical, regional and international issues to enhance cooperation within the Organization.
SCO is an 8-nation grouping which includes India, Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan.
Apart from the Summit activities, Prime Minister will hold bilateral meetings with Putin, President of Uzbekistan and some other leaders.
“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 Organization,” Modi said in a statement ahead of his departure.
“I also look forward to meeting President Mirziyoyev in Samarkand. I fondly recall his visit to India in 2018. He also graced the Vibrant Gujarat Summit as its Guest of Honour in 2019. In addition, I will hold bilateral meetings with some of the other Leaders attending the Summit,” the statement said.
“The Summit usually has two sessions. One, a restricted session, which is meant only for the SCO member states and then an extended session that will likely include participation by Observers and also the special invitees of the chair country i.e Uzbekistan as also some of the regional organizations which participate in the SCO Summit,” Kwatra said.
“We expect that the discussions during the summit would cover topical regional and international issues; reform and expansion of SCO; the security situation in the region; our cooperation perspective in the region including strengthening connectivity as well as boosting trade and tourism in the region,” he said.
Samarkand declaration and numerous other documents are expected to be finalized during the summit. They are currently under consideration of the SCO member countries.
SCO was set up in June 2001 and India became a full member in 2017. The Council of the SCO Heads of State is the highest decision making body of the organization and meets for an annual summit that is hosted by a member state of the SCO.
Prime Minister Modi has been leading the Indian delegation to the SCO Summit every year, since we became its full member in 2017.
During the last two summits in 2020 and 2021, Prime Minister participated in a 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 processes, deliberations and its outcomes,” Kwatra said.
