New Delhi: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend the the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday informed that PM Modi will have other bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the SCO Summit, but did not officially confirm any meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
"At the invitation of Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, PM Modi will be leaving later this evening for a 24-hour visit to Samarkand to participate in the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)," Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said, as per news agency ANI.
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At a media briefing, the MEA informed that PM Modi will attend the SCO Summit on Friday morning. "The Summit usually has two sessions - a restricted session, only for the SCO member states and then an extended session likely includes participation by observers and special invitees," he added.
It was informed that New Delhi expects the discussions of the SCO Summit to cover topical, regional, and international issues as well as reform and expansion of the SCO. Other subjects expected to be discussed include the security situation and cooperation in the region, including strengthening connectivity and boosting trade.
"Prime Minister will hold bilateral meetings with the President of Uzbekistan and some other leaders on the sidelines of the SCO Summit. The Prime Minister's participation in the Summit is a reflection of the importance that India attaches to the SCO and its cause," Vinay Kwatra emphasised, as quoted by ANI.
MEA On Bilateral Meetings With Leaders Of China, Pakistan, & Russia
On being asked about bilateral meetings with the leaders of China, Pakistan, and Russia, the Foreign Secretary responded saying: "Prime Minister will have other bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the SCO Summit. We would keep you apprised as the schedule unfolds", ANI reported.
The Prime Minister's visit is slated to be brief as he reaches there later tonight. "He will attend 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," Kwatra mentioned.
While a meeting with Chinese President Xi is not officially confirmed, Prime Minister Modi is to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, as per Russian officials.
"Russian President Putin is going to participate in the forthcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. PM Modi is also going. We've already announced that there will be a number of meetings in Samarkand, including with PM Modi," Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov told ANI earlier.
About SCO Summit 2022
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) will hold its first in-person summit after the COVID-19 pandemic in Uzbekistan’s Samarkand. The two-day summit will provide the opportunity for all its eight heads of state to hold meetings and bilateral talks on the sidelines of the summit on pressing global and regional issues of common concern.
The last in-person summit was held in Kyrgyzstan’s Bishkek in the year 2019. After that in 2020, the Moscow summit was held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic while the 2021 summit at Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe was held in hybrid mode.
Launched in Shanghai in June 2001, the SCO has eight full members, including its six founding members, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan joined as full members in 2017.
SCO observer states include Afghanistan, Belarus, and Mongolia, while Dialogue partners include Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Turkey, as well as Armenia, and Azerbaijan.