PM Modi to attend the SCO summit in Samarkand with Xi, Putin, and Shehbaz on September 15 and 16

Digital Desk: It's been revealed that  Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Samarkand, Uzbekistan, for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization conference on September 15 and 16.

This will be the first in-person summit since the SCO summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in June 2019.

According to the current travel schedule, the Prime Minister is expected to arrive in Samarkand on September 14 and return on September 16.

India's participation in the summit is vital since following the Samarkand summit, it will take up the rotating presidency of the SCO. Up to September 2023, Delhi will preside over the organization for a full year. Thus, India will host the SCO summit the following year, which will include participation from the presidents of China, Russia, and Pakistan, among others.

The Prime Minister's trip to Samarkand will be extensively scrutinized for potential side talks between the two leaders.

Among the world leaders scheduled at the conference are Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Although there has been no formal announcement on the bilateral meetings, it is anticipated that the leaders will be in the same room for both the summit and the leaders' lounge.

The most recent bilateral encounter between Modi and Xi took place in November 2019 at the BRICS summit in Brazil.

Following the military clash between Indian and Chinese forces at the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh in May 2020, relations between the two nations have taken a hit.

The two sides now have the chance to engage at the highest level following the disengagement of Chinese and Indian forces from Patrolling Point 15, one of the final areas of conflict in the Gogra-Hot Springs area.

There had been no official outreach between India and Pakistan for a bilateral meeting between Sharif and Modi as of Saturday night.

According to sources, the conference would likely focus on the geopolitical situation resulting from Russia's invasion of Ukraine and its consequences. 

Furthermore, because many SCO member nations are Afghanistan's neighbours, the situation in Afghanistan under the Taliban administration will be discussed.