No clarity on Modi-Shahbaz Sharif meet on SCO sidelines

New Delhi: There is no clarity if Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet his Pakistan counterpart Shehbaz Sharif at the sidelines of the SCO summit in Samarkand.

Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said on Thursday that the Prime Minister will hold bilateral meetings with the President of Uzbekistan and some other leaders on the sidelines of the summit.

“Prime Minister will have other bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit. And we would keep you apprised as along the way when the Prime Minister’s schedule of these bilateral meetings unfolds as we go along. At this stage, that is all I can share with you.”

Kwatra said that the PM’s participation in this summit is a reflection of the importance that India attaches to the SCO and its goals.

“This is also tied to our approach and engagement with the region as a whole.

“India hosted the first India-Central Asia Summit earlier this year, preceded by a Foreign Minister level meeting.

“We remain focused on strengthening our linkages with Central Asia and the extended neighbourhood. And this visit will take that vision and that perspective forward,” he said.