New Delhi, September 11
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from September 15 to 16 to attend the 22nd meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s summit, stated an MEA press release.
This is the fifth SCO summit in which India, a late entrant to the grouping, will participate as a full member.
Though the possibility of a meeting between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping is in focus, of equal importance will be his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Despite close ties with Moscow, the two leaders have not met since December last year though they have spoken several times on the phone. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had visited Delhi in March.
PM Modi will also come face to face with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and this will be the first time the two leaders will meet at a shared platform.