Modi expected to meet Russian president Putin, China’s Xi at SCO summit in June

New Delhi, May 28: In his first international engagement after assuming the Office of Prime Minister for the second time, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be heading to Bishkek for Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit (SCO) from June 13-14. He is expected to meet and hold discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping but no official confirmation has been released over a meeting his Pakistan counterpart.

The SCO includes China, Russia, India, and Pakistan and countries of Central Asia including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan who have been focusing on fighting terrorism, separatism, and extremism. India and Pakistan had become full members of the grouping in 2017.

Modi's meet with Xi Jinping will be of great importance since this is the first time premiers of both countries will meet post Beijing lifting its technical hold against branding terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, by the United Nations Security Council.
Azhar was branded as a global terrorist after China, who held veto power, lifted its contentious hold on his nomination in UN's terror list.

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit India for his second informal summit with Modi on October 11, people familiar with development in New Delhi and Beijing said. The meet is expected to take forward the momentum created by the first informal summit at Wuhan in April last year.

Also, Modi is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump in September, people familiar with the matter said.