NEW DELHI: In the backdrop of the Seoul Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG) plenary, all eyes are now on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s talks with Chinese President Xi Jingping on Thursday on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in Tashkent.
The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that Prime Minister Modi will have a meeting with the Chinese President besides other meetings on the sidelines of the event. But, the PM’s meeting with Jingping when NSG is deliberating the issue, officials said, is rather a coincidence. However, sources said India’s NSG bid is likely to figure in Modi-Jingping meeting as most of the member countries have decided to support India’s entry into the exclusive club.
Ministry officials said that India would start the admission process to SCO at Tashkent and they have been in discussion for signing of documents. As newly admitted countries are required to meet a number of conditions, at least 30 documents are needed to be signed during the process.
During Ufa summit in 2015, SCO had passed a decision on India’s and Pakistan’s entry as new members. At present SCO is a group of six countries, including Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. MEA officials said SCO is a major group of countries that has huge potential in terms of energy and India’s entry will open new horizons for cooperation.