NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to have a meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Corporation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, which is being held on Sept 15-16.
He is also likely to have meetings with the presidents of China and Iran, and possible interaction with Pakistan’s PM Shehbaz Sharif.
India and Russia have strong bilateral relations, despite the sanctions against the latter. India has not criticised Russia for the conflict in Ukraine, though it supports a resolution to the issue through dialogue.
India has also increased the import of crude oil from Russia from less than 1 per cent to nearly 10 per cent.
Besides, there are strong defence ties between the two nations, so a bilateral interaction with Putin is likely to happen.
There is also a possibility of Modi meeting Xi Jinping.
“With the announcement of the disengagement of Indian and Chinese troops in the Gogra-Hotspring region of eastern Ladakh, a meeting with Xi Jinping is likely,’’ say sources.
During the summit, Iran is going to become a SCO member and President Ebrahim Raisi is expected to be there for the event.
“India and Iran share strong trade ties. The value of trade between the two countries stood at $1.604 billion during the January-July 2022 period, registering a 49 per cent rise from the corresponding period of the previous year. The meeting between the two leaders is likely to take place on the sidelines of the event,’’ say sources.
One of the most awaited interactions at the summit would be between Modi and Sharif.
“Though bilateral talks are unlikely, there could be a handshake and PM Modi may express concern about the floods in Pakistan,’’ says an expert on India-Pakistan relations.
Meanwhile, Belarus has submitted its proposal to become a member of the SCO, which is expected to come up for discussion. Also likely to be discussed is the use of local currencies for trade instead of dollar.
Face-to-face in samarkand
One of the most awaited interactions at the summit would be between PM Modi and Pakistan’s PM Shehbaz Sharif.
“Though bilateral talks are not likely, there could be a handshake. PM Modi may express concern about floods in Pakistan,’’ says an expert.
There is also a possibility of Modi meeting Xi Jinping.
“With the disengagement of troops at Gogra-Hotspring, a meeting with Xi is likely,’’ say sources.