PM Modi to Hold Bilateral Talks with Vladimir Putin at SCO Summit in Bishkek

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to hold a high-profile bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

The summit, marking the 25th anniversary of the regional grouping, is set to take place from August 31 to September 1. Announcing the Prime Minister’s itinerary on Thursday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed that PM Modi will embark on a four-day Central Asian tour starting August 29. He will first undertake a bilateral visit to Uzbekistan before arriving in Bishkek at the invitation of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov.

The high-level engagement between Modi and Putin comes shortly after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s visit to Moscow, where the Russian President expressed enthusiasm for meeting the Indian Prime Minister at the SCO sidelines.