Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday was seen sharing warm handshakes and a brief exchange with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek.The interaction took place as the leaders gathered at the Yrys Ordo Congress Hall for the official group photograph, a traditional feature of the annual SCO summit. PM Modi was seen greeting Xi and Putin as the leaders assembled for the photograph.The three leaders are among the heads of state and government attending the summit, hosted by Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov, who is also chairing the gathering.A roundtable discussion involving the SCO member states was also held at the venue. Alongside PM Modi, Xi and Putin, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon are attending the summit.
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The 26th SCO Leadership Summit brings together the organisation’s 10 member states, along with 15 partner countries and two observer countries. The grouping represents around 25% of global GDP and focuses on cooperation in areas including security, connectivity, economic development and regional stability.PM Modi, who will address the summit, is expected to outline India’s priorities of security, connectivity and opportunity. India has been a full member of the SCO since 2017.The summit is also being held in the expanded “SCO Plus” format, bringing together leaders from a wider group of countries. Those attending include Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith and Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe.
