- Sputnik International, 1920
SCO Summit in Samarkand
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit takes place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on September 15-16. Boosting security and stability in the region, as well as economic matters will be high on the agenda.

India Says No Meeting Scheduled Between Modi & Pakistan's PM as Ties Remain in Limbo

© AP Photo / Manish SwarupIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi waits for the arrival of his British counterpart Boris Johnson at the Indian presidential palace in New Delhi, Friday, April 22, 2022.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi waits for the arrival of his British counterpart Boris Johnson at the Indian presidential palace in New Delhi, Friday, April 22, 2022. - Sputnik International, 1920, 15.09.2022
Subscribe
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Asim Iftikhar said on Wednesday that no meeting is “envisaged” between Shehbaz Sharif and Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the SCO summit, as neither side sought bilateral talks. At the same time, a brief courtesy call between the leaders might take place, he suggested.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not been scheduled to hold any meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif, as both leaders are set to come face-to-face for the first time at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of State (CHS) meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
“Prime Minister will hold bilateral meetings with the President of Uzbekistan and some other leaders on the sidelines of the summit,” Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra told a press briefing in New Delhi ahead of PM Modi’s departure for Uzbekistan.

Responding to a question on whether Pakistan has sent a formal request for a bilateral meeting with Modi, Kwatra said that the PM may hold other bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the SCO summit, refusing to divulge anything further.

Kwatra underlined that the SCO was primarily a platform to exchange “topical regional and international issues” rather than holding bilateral talks.

“Traditionally, if you look at the SCO agenda… Its focus remains on discussing developments taking place in the region and the world,” the Indian official stated.

He said that the focus of the Prime Minister Modi-led delegation at the summit would be on discussing “common challenges” facing the South and Central Asian region – cooperation in countering terrorism, strengthening regional connectivity, and boosting trade are on top of the agenda.
India, currently the chair of the SCO’s Regional Anti-terrorism Structure (RATS), is keen on boosting counter-terror cooperation with other SCO states, he added.
Meeting of the Council of SCO Heads of Government and heads of delegations of SCO observer states. (File) - Sputnik International, 1920, 12.09.2022
SCO Summit in Samarkand
SCO's Global Role Becoming 'More Significant' in the Wake of Ukraine Crisis, Indian Ex-Envoy Says
At the 2019 summit, which PM Modi attended in person, the Indian leader took a veiled swipe at Pakistan, stating that “countries sponsoring, aiding and funding terrorism must be held accountable.” No meeting took place at the time between Modi and then Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, with the leaders only exchanging pleasantries.
New Delhi has repeatedly accused Islamabad of abetting terrorist activity against Indian interests, which prevents the two sides from maintaining a bilateral dialogue. The last leadership dialogue between India and Pakistan took place in 2015, when Prime Minister Modi paid an unannounced visit to Lahore.
However, talks between the two neighbors have stalled after a spate of terrorist attacks in subsequent years, including a deadly terror strike on an Indian paramilitary convoy in the Jammu and Kashmir region in February 2019. The attack was claimed by Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM)*, a terror group New Delhi insists is backed by Islamabad.
Pakistan downgraded its commercial and diplomatic ties with New Delhi in August 2019, after the Indian parliament revoked the semi-autonomous status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into two federal territories.
The Jammu and Kashmir region is disputed between India and Pakistan, both of which control parts of it.

Pakistan has since claimed that New Delhi must roll back its moves in Jammu and Kashmir before it restores normal ties. New Delhi has maintained that Islamabad has no “locus standi” on issues regarding Kashmir, which is India’s “internal matter.”

*A terrorist organization banned in Russia
Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала