PM Modi likely to meet Putin during four-day Central Asia visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a four-day visit to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan on Saturday, August 29, where he will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit and hold a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

At the invitation of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Modi will visit Uzbekistan from August 29 to 30. He will then travel to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on August 31 to participate in the SCO Summit.

The Ministry of External Affairs said Modi is scheduled to hold several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit, including talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Details of the other meetings will be announced once they are finalised.

Sibi George, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, said at a media briefing that a meeting between Modi and Putin is scheduled on the sidelines of the summit. The two leaders are expected to review the entire range of India-Russia relations.

The meeting comes shortly after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s visit to Moscow earlier this week. During his visit, Jaishankar met President Putin and co-chaired the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation.

The upcoming SCO Summit will mark 25 years of the grouping and is expected to focus on the evolving security situation in the region, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif are among the leaders expected to attend the summit.