India to discuss trade, connectivity, regional cooperation at SCO summit

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaves for Uzbekistan to attend the SCO summit, India on Thursday said it expects discussions at the forum to cover topical issues, trade, connectivity and regional cooperation.

Modi is scheduled to depart for the Uzbek city of Samarkand this evening for a 24-hour visit.

At a media briefing, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said Modi will have bilateral meetings with the Uzbek president and some other leaders on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

To a volley of questions on whether there will be a bilateral meeting between PM Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kwatra did not give a direct reply.

We will keep you apprised when schedule of Modi's bilateral meetings unfolds, he said.

Asked about Pakistan continuing to back various terror groups, Kwatra said there is a deeply held understanding in SCO about ways to deal with terrorism in region.

The member states of the SCO are Russia, China, India, Pakistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.