NEW DELHI: On a day India took charge of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) Presidency at Samarkand in Uzbekistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin at their bilateral meeting on Friday to end the Ukraine conflict, saying, “Today’s era is not of war.”
In response, Putin said, “I know your position on the conflict in Ukraine, your concerns you constantly express. We will do our best to stop this as soon as possible.’’
Putin also pointed to the growing export of Russian fertilizers to India.
“Deliveries of fertilizers from Russia to India have increased by more than eight times,” he added.
“I also know tomorrow is your birthday, dear friend. But in Russian tradition we do not wish in advance but I want you to know we remember this,” Putin told Modi who rings in his 72nd birthday on Saturday.
Modi also held bilateral talks with Iran, Uzbekistan and Turkey.
In his bilateral with Iran, Modi and President Ebrahim Raisi assessed the progress in trade and discussed energy ties as also trade through the Chabahar port where India is heavily invested.
One of Modi’s surprise meetings was with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The two leaders spoke about bilateral trade enhancement of commercial linkages. There was no interaction with China though its President Xi Jinping said, “We will support India during its Presidency of SCO.”
“All the meetings that were scheduled did take place,’’ said Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra.
Modi announced Varanasi as the first-ever SCO tourist and cultural capital for the grouping for 2022-23. During the course of India’s Presidency, many cultural events will be organised in Varanasi by SCO.
A joint declaration at the end of the summit said the grouping aimed to prepare a single list of terrorist, separatist and extremist outfits whose activities are banned on the territories of the member states, with an aim to counter threats posed by them to the region.
VARANASI CAPITAL
With India taking over SCO’s rotating Presidency, all member states endorsed Varanasi as the first-ever tourist and cultural capital of the grouping for the year 2022-23.
With India taking over SCO’s rotating Presidency, all member states endorsed Varanasi as the first-ever tourist and cultural capital of the grouping for the year 2022-23.