Bishkek, Sep 1 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday concluded his two-nation tour and left for New Delhi after attending the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Kyrgyzstan’s Bishkek.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi attended the 26th SCO Summit held under Kyrgyzstan’s chairmanship in Bishkek. He also held discussions with Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon and Laos President Thongloun Sisoulith on the sidelines of the summit.
PM Modi and President Sisoulith held discussions on strengthening bilateral linkages between India and Laos.
“Met Mr. Thongloun Sisoulith, President of Lao PDR on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Bishkek. Had a great conversation on boosting bilateral linkages between our nations,” said PM Modi.
Following his meeting with Rahmon, PM Modi expressed India’s readiness to boost cooperation with Tajikistan across various sectors.
Prior to the Summit, PM Modi and other SCO leaders posed for a group photograph. PM Modi interacted with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin before posing with other SCO leaders for the group photograph.
The SCO comprises 10 member states – Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It has two observer states – Azerbaijan and Armenia and 15 dialogue partners -Azerbaijan, Armenia, Egypt, Cambodia, Qatar, Kuwait, Laos, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Sri Lanka.
On Monday, PM Modi held a bilateral meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
He also paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at his memorial in Bishkek and interacted with the Indian community members who were present there to welcome him. PM Modi also attended the opening ceremony of the World Nomad Games in Bishkek on Monday evening and wished the participating Indian contingent.
PM Modi arrived in Bishkek on Sunday after concluding his engagements in Uzbekistan. During his visit, PM Modi held talks with Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, paid tribute to former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri at the Shastri Memorial and visited the Mahatma Gandhi Centre at the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies.
–IANS
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