Modi arrives in Bishkek for SCO summit; to meet Putin, Xi
TNN Bureau. Updated: 6/13/2019 5:43:29 PM
World
Bishkek, Jun 13: India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who on Thursday arrived in the Kyrgyz capital for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, will meet several leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
This will be the first multilateral engagement of Mr Modi, post re-election as Prime Minister of India.
Modi, in a statement before his two-day visit to Bishkek from June 13-14, had said in New Delhi that he also planned to meet several leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO Summit.
“We attach special importance to SCO in promoting multilateral, political, security, economic and people-to-people interaction in the region. India has actively participated in various SCO dialogue mechanisms since its full membership of SCO two years ago,” he said on Wednesday.
India has extended full cooperation to the chairmanship of the Kyrgyz Republic over the past year, Modi said.
“The summit is expected to discuss the global security situation, multilateral economic cooperation, people-to-people exchanges and topical issues of international and regional importance,” he said.
“Strengthening India’s presence on the global stage. For the 1st multilateral engagement post re-election, PM @narendramodi embarks on a two-day visit to attend Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Heads of State meeting on 13-14 June 2019 in Bishkek,” External Affairs Ministry (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumarhe said on Twitter.
“The SCO Summit will be followed by the bilateral component of the visit to Kyrgyz Republic on 14 June. PM @narendramodi will have delegation-level talks with President Jeenbekov and jointly inaugurate the India-Kyrgyz Business Forum with Kyrgyz President,” Kumar said in another tweet.
India and the Kyrgyz Republic, bound by historical and civilisational links, share traditionally warm and friendly relations. “I am confident that my visit to the Kyrgyz Republic will further strengthen and consolidate our cooperation with the SCO member countries and with the Kyrgyz Republic,” Modi added.