PM Modi to hold important bilateral meetings with several leaders on sidelines of SCO Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which is scheduled to take place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on September 15–16, according to the Indian ambassador to Uzbekistan, Manish Prabhat.

“Leaders of SCO member countries are meeting after two years due to the COVID pandemic. Some bilateral meetings will take place on the sidelines of the SCO but the programme of the meetings will be finalised in due course,” Ambassador Prabhat said.

Replying to a question on whether PM Modi will be holding meetings with the heads of nations like Pakistan, China and Russia, the envoy said, “I’m not able to comment on that at this moment but you would soon come to know.”

The fact that the world’s leaders will be meeting in person for the first time in two years makes the meeting with them vital.

The Ambassador continued by pointing out that the SCO meeting will also cover the connectivity concerns of the landlocked Central Asian nations.

“Economic cooperation in the SCO is an important question which of course will be discussed in the SCO meetings. When we are meeting with central Asian countries we are always discussing connectivity which will promote trade, investment others exchanges between Indian and central Asians,” he said.

“Chabahar port in Iran is a very important port. India is promoting the usage of the Chabahar port so that it becomes the hub of connectivity between India and Central Asia,” he added.