September 16
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Samarkand last night. He will participate in the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which will to be held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan today.
On arrival in Samarkand, Prime Minister was warmly received by Abdulla Aripov, the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan. Several Ministers, the Governor of the Samarkand region, and other senior officials from the Government of Uzbekistan.
PM Modi will have informal meetings on topics of mutual interest with a number of heads of state on the sidelines of the 22nd Summit of the SCO Council of Heads of State. After the summit, he will participate in bilateral meetings with Iran, Uzbekistan, and Russia. Discussions on defence cooperation and military supplies will be held during a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Denis Alipov, the Russian ambassador to India.
The International North South Transport Corridor, bilateral trade, trade with Central Asian nations, cooperation within the UN and G-20, strategic stability, and the situation in the Indo-Pacific region are all expected to be topics of conversation between the two leaders.
The Samarkand Declaration will be signed to wrap up the summit. The Summit is also anticipated to see the ratification of numerous other documents.
India, which is currently the chair of the SCO’s Regional Anti-terrorism Structure, is keen on boosting counter-terror cooperation with other SCO states. The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation currently comprises eight full time members. Several like-minded countries have expressed interest in joining the SCO.
During the summit, Iran is anticipated to receive full membership status, and Belarus’ candidacy will formally be taken into consideration. The summit is significant for India because, following the Samarkand Summit, it will take over the rotating SCO Presidency. Up until September 2023, Delhi will serve as the grouping’s President for one year. India will thus host the SCO summit the following year.
