TASHKENT: Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral talks with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on Friday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tashkent.
This was Prime Minister Modi’s first diplomatic engagement of the day. The two leaders discussed ways to strengthen ties.
Modi on twitter said, “Met President Alexander Lukashenko and discussed ways to further improve India-Belarus relations.”
The Prime Minister arrived in Uzbekistan on Thursday to attend the two-day SCO summit.
Prime Minister Modi will later attend a meeting of the SCO Heads of State Council where discussions will be held on enhancing cooperation. He will also hold talks with President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon.
India along with its rival Pakistan was granted membership of the SCO last July. Both the South Asian nations along with Iran were admitted as observers at the 2005 summit, and are expected to join fully in 2016.
The SCO was formed at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.