PM Modi to join Putin, Xi for Samarkand dinner today

NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi will depart for Samarkand late afternoon on Thursday to participate in the SCO summit. He is expected to exchange greetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders in the evening at a dinner hosted by Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
There was no confirmation till late evening of a bilateral meeting between Xi and Modi. Official sources, however, did not rule out a meeting and said the PM’s bilateral meetings had not been finalised yet. Modi will be in the same room as Xi during the summit on at least two occasions.
Russia has confirmed a bilateral meeting with Modi for Friday saying issues like “strategic stability, the situation in the Asia Pacific Region, and, cooperation within major multilateral formats, like the UN, the G20 and SCO” will be discussed.
Modi will also have bilateral meetings with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the Uzbekistan President.