Look forward to exchanging views on regional, topical issues at SCO summit: PM

PM Modi said in the departure statement that he is visiting Samarkand at the invitation of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to attend the meeting of the council of heads of state of the SCO

Updated on: Sep 15, 2022, 15:58:57 IST

By Rezaul H Laskar

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said he will discuss regional and global issues and expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) during the SCO Summit in Samarkand.

In a departure statement, PM Modi said he will also exchange views on deepening of multifaceted cooperation within the SCO.

The Prime Minister will leave for Uzbekistan on Thursday evening for the SCO Summit.

He will be in the country for 24 hours where he is expected to hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit, foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra told a news briefing.

PM Modi said in the departure statement that he is visiting Samarkand at the invitation of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to attend the meeting of the council of heads of state of the SCO.

Also Read:Beyond China, why SCO is key

“At the SCO Summit, I look forward to exchanging views on topical, regional and international issues, the expansion of SCO and on further deepening of multifaceted and mutually beneficial cooperation within the Organisation,” he 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 added.

PM Modi said he looked forward to meeting Mirziyoyev in Samarkand, and recalled his visit to India in 2018.

“He also graced the Vibrant Gujarat Summit as its guest of honour in 2019. In addition, I will hold bilateral meetings with some of the other leaders attending the summit,” Modi said.

There has been no official word from the Indian side on the bilateral meetings in Samarkand.

However, Russian and Iranian officials have said the presidents of the two countries will hold bilateral meetings with PM Modi.

The prime minister’s schedule in Samarkand will be packed and the number of bilateral meetings is set to be limited, people familiar with the matter said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rezaul H Laskar
Rezaul Hasan Laskar is Foreign Editor with the Hindustan Times, which he joined in 2015. He began as a journalist in his hometown of Shillong in northeast India and has worked in newspapers and wire services over the years. He moved to New Delhi in 1997 and initially focused on defence, national security, Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast, while also working of foreign policy and international relations. He has been part of the media delegation accompanying PMs on foreign visits and has reported from destinations ranging from Tibet to Ukraine. Between 2007 and 2013, he was the Press Trust of India correspondent in Pakistan, one of only two Indian journalists allowed to report from the country. He extensively covered Pakistan’s domestic politics and the life of the common people, as well as the fallout of the 2008 Mumbai attacks on India-Pakistan relations and the subsequent trial in Pakistan of the suspects involved in the attack. As part of his reportage in Pakistan, he travelled the breadth of the country, from the Swat Valley to Balochistan. Reza’s first gig in journalism was writing a weekly music column, and music – especially classic rock – remains a keen interest. He is also a movie buff and a keen photographer.Read More