NEW DELHI: While maintaining that there will no formal meeting is scheduled between the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Kazakhstan, but sources have indicated that both leaders will have informal handshake.
Simulateously, it is also expected that Modi may not meet Nawaz Sharif, but he is likely to meet his Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of the summit.
“Possibility of a bilateral meeting between PM Modi meeting Chinese President, at SCO Astana, but nothing is confirmed as of now,” MEA said.
A day before the leaving for the summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he looks forward to deepening India's association with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a summit of the six nation.During the summit in Astana, India and Pakistan will be become full members of the Eurasian grouping comprising, at present, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
PM Modi said India has long-standing relations with the SCO members and he looked forward to progressing them further through the grouping for "mutual betterment and growth of our countries and our people."
"I look forward to deepening India's association with the SCO which will help us in economic, connectivity and counter- terrorism cooperation, among other things," he said in his pre-departure statement.
PM Modi said at this meeting, on completion of the process, India will become a full member of the SCO upon which SCO will represent over 40 per cent of humanity and nearly 20 per cent of the global GDP.
"We launched the process of full membership in Tashkent meeting of the SCO last year," he noted.
"Together, we will harvest new opportunities for beneficial engagement and redouble efforts to address common challenges that may come in the way of realizing our full potential," he added.
On the evening of June 9, he will also attend the inauguration of the Astana Expo with the theme of “Future Energy”.