New Delhi: After wrapping up his historic visit to Kazakhstan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in New Delhi in the wee hours of Saturday.
A day before, Prime Minister Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the 17th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit and discussed bilateral relations where the latter pointed out that the international environment was undergoing profound and complex changes.
Prime Minister Modi said that India and China were ancient civilizations with a long-standing friendship.
The Prime Minister further said that India appreciates China’s support for its accession to the SCO and wishes to strengthen cooperation with China under the SCO framework.
President Jinping congratulated India on its expected official membership of the SCO and stated China’s willingness to strengthen cooperation with India under the SCO framework and jointly make a positive contribution to its sound and steady development.
President Jinping said China and India, as the two largest developing countries in the world, should focus more on cooperation, advance side by side, lend support to each other’s development, uphold world peace and promote common development.
Prime Minister Modi also met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani during his visit wherein they discussed the current situation in Afghanistan, with specific reference to fighting terrorism and promoting peace, stability, and reconciliation there.
Both leaders agreed that India’s entry to the SCO as a full member today would promote closer cooperation within the body, including on one of the main priorities of the organization- fighting terrorism.
Prime Minister Modi also held bilateral meetings with other leaders including Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
India has been an observer of the SCO meeting since 2005. By becoming a full SCO member, India now stands to gain in the spheres of security, economy, trade, investment, connectivity, and energy co-operation.
Along with India, Pakistan has also joined the SCO as a full member state. Other members are Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyztan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
The SCO was set up in 2001 with the goal to foster security and co-operation between the member nations. Over the years the organisation has expanded its focus to include areas related to economic co-operation.