Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday attended the annual summit of the SCO [Shanghai Cooperation Organisation] 2022, along with Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif and the Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President brahim Raisi, with several other central Asian countries to discuss ways to Deepen Bilateral Ties. Ahead of the deliberations at the restricted format of the summit, leaders of the permanent members of the grouping posed for a group photo at the venue of the summit, Modi was warmly greeted by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. After the summit, Prime Minister Modi is set to have separate bilateral meetings with all the respective leaders. Modi said he was looking forward to exchanging views at the summit on topical regional and international issues as well as on reform and expansion of the grouping. “At the SCO Summit, I look forward to exchanging views on topical, regional and international issues, the expansion of SCO and further deepening of multifaceted and mutually beneficial cooperation within the Organisation,” Modi 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 said. The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Over the years, it has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017. Iran is likely to be given the status of a permanent member of the SCO at the Samarkand summit.
