Looking ahead to the enlargement of SCO, says PM Modi as he lands in Uzbekistan

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived on the Samarkand International Airport on Thursday to attend the twenty second Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Upon his arrival, the Prime Minister, in a press launch, stated, “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.”

“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 stated.

At the airport, PM Modi was obtained by Abdulla Aripov, the Prime Minister of Uzbekistan. Several ministers, the governor of the Samarkand area, and different senior officers from the federal government of Uzbekistan welcomed PM Modi on the airport, an announcement launched by PMO stated.

PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping had been two SCO leaders who skipped the casual dinner on Thursday.

SCO SUMMIT 2022:

The summit will start on Friday with a welcome ceremony of heads of SCO member states adopted by a gaggle picture.

The session will start with a restricted 1+1 format assembly amongst leaders ( chief + interpreter). Then there could be a joint picture session adopted by the ‘prolonged format SCO assembly (1+5)’ which is a delegation-level discuss.

The Samarkand Declaration will likely be signed by the leaders after which Prime Minister Modi will attend the official banquet hosted by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Bilateral engagements of Prime Minister Modi are to happen after the summit concludes. The conferences which were firmed up are with Russian President Vladimir Putin at 3:40 pm (4:10 pm IST) at Samarkand Regency Hotel, with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev at 5 pm (5:30 pm IST) on the Congress Centre, and with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at 5 pm (5:30 pm IST) on the Congress Centre.

He will then go to the mausoleum of Islam Karimov, the primary President of Uzbekistan, and pay floral tributes. After his bilateral engagements, Prime Minister Modi will return to India.

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