Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday attended the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in the historic Uzbek city along with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and leaders of the other member states of the influential grouping. Additionally, the summit is also being attended by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and leaders of several central Asian countries, according to news agency PTI report.
Meanwhile, 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, according to PTI report.
Following the summit, Prime Minister Modi is set to have separate bilateral meetings with Russian President Putin, Uzbek President Mirziyoyev and Iranian President Raisi. Additionally, 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 is holding its first in-person summit in Samarkand in Uzbekistan after two years since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic which prevented such high-level gatherings.
The summit in Samarkand will have two sessions - one restricted session which is only meant for the SCO member states and then there will be an extended session that is likely to see the participation of the observers and the special invitees of the chair country. 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.
(With inputs from ANI, PTI)
