Indian PM Modi to hold bilateral talks at Uzbek summit

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is set to attend the 22nd Summit of the Council of Heads of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States (SCO-CoHS) in Samarkand in Uzbekistan, will be holding bilateral meetings with other member leaders on the sidelines of the summit.

In a special briefing, Foreign Secretary, Vinay Kwatra said, "Besides his bilateral with the host country, PM will have bilateral with other leaders. Will keep you apprised.PM's participation in the Summit is a reflection of the importance that India attaches to the SCO & its cause" when asked about his bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

PM Modi will attend the summit on September 16. He is expected to have bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Samarkand.

PM Modi and the Russian President will discuss Russian-Indian cooperation within the UN and G20 during the SCO summit.

"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 said on September 15.

The 22nd Summit of the Council of Heads of the SCO Member States (SCO-CoHS) is set to commence on September 15 in Samarkand in Uzbekistan after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

(ANI)