• SCO summit in Uzbekistan; PM Modi to meet Putin today

    International
    SCO summit in Uzbekistan; PM Modi to meet Putin today
    Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the SCO Summit was hosted virtually for two years before this, making this the first time it has been held in person.

    Digital Desk: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2022 will be held in Samarkand, the capital of Uzbekistan. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived there. According to a statement from the ministry of external affairs, he was met at the airport by Uzbekistan's prime minister, Abdulla Aripov.

    At the airport to greet the Indian prime minister were a number of ministers, the governor of Samarkand, and representatives of the Uzbekistan government.

    According to the announcement, Modi will attend the SCO Summit on Friday morning before having private talks with Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the president of Uzbekistan, on the margins of the gathering. The PM will also meet with Ebrahim Raisi of Iran and Vladimir Putin of Russia.

    After the summit was convened virtually in 2020 and 2021 in Tajikistan and Russia, respectively, because to the Covid-19 pandemic, this is the first in-person meeting among the member states. The prime minister has no scheduled meetings today.

    When Putin visited India in December 2021, Modi and Putin last spoke. After Russia's invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, they last spoke to one another. Discussions of Russian and Indian cooperation in the UN and G20 are anticipated between the two leaders.

    An earlier rejection of a bilateral meeting between Modi and Shehbaz Sharif by Pakistan's foreign ministry. In the meantime, neither India nor China has made any public statements regarding a potential meeting between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

    Modi stated in a statement before leaving for Samarkand that he will discuss regional and global challenges, as well as the growth of the SCO, at the summit.

    He said, "Under the Uzbek Chairship, a number of resolutions for mutual cooperation in sectors of commerce, economy, culture, and tourism are likely to be implemented."

    The two-day summit got underway early on Thursday and has already seen meetings between Putin and Xi as well as the presidents of Russia and Iran.

    Pakistan's foreign ministry has rejected a bilateral meeting between Modi and Shehbaz Sharif. Meanwhile, neither India nor China has made any public announcements on a possible meeting between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

    Modi noted in a statement issued before departing for Samarkand that he will discuss regional and global concerns, as well as the SCO's growth, at the summit.

    "A number of resolutions for bilateral cooperation in fields of commerce, economy, culture, and tourism are expected to be implemented under the Uzbek Chairship," he stated.

    The two-day summit began early Thursday with sessions between Putin and Xi, as well as the presidents of Russia and Iran.