Punjab Newsline | Bishkek
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a visit to Kyrgyzstan, on Monday paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi in Bishkek. Following the tribute, he interacted with members of the Indian community present in the Kyrgyz capital.
PM Modi arrived in Bishkek to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, being held to mark 25 years of the grouping. The theme of this year's summit is “Moving Forward Together for Sustainable Peace, Development and Prosperity.”
Leaders from the SCO's 10 member countries, including India, China, Russia, Pakistan and Iran, are expected to participate in the summit. PM Modi will represent India at the meeting.
India and Pakistan became full members of the SCO in 2017. Iran joined the grouping in 2023, while Belarus became a member in 2024.
During the summit, PM Modi is also expected to hold meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The discussions are likely to focus on regional and global issues as well as bilateral relations.
PM Modi will also attend the opening ceremony of the 6th World Nomad Games in Bishkek.
India has been making efforts to strengthen its ties with Central Asian countries, which possess significant reserves of oil, gas, uranium and other critical minerals. New Delhi is seeking greater cooperation with the region to meet its energy requirements and diversify its sources of strategic minerals.
India is also looking to expand trade with Central Asian nations by developing new trade and transport corridors. Cooperation on issues such as the situation in Afghanistan and counter-terrorism is another important area of engagement between India and the Central Asian countries.
