SCO Summit: PM holds talks with Turkish President, reviews 'full range of bilateral relations'

Samarkand, Sep 16: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Samarkand during which they reviewed bilateral relations and discussed ways to deepen cooperation in diverse sectors.

The two leaders are in the historic Uzbek city of Samarkand to attend the SCO summit.

''PM @narendramodi held talks with President @RTErdogan on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Samarkand. The two leaders discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in diverse sectors,'' the Prime Minister's Office tweeted.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the two leaders had ''useful discussions'' during the meeting.

''Leaders reviewed bilateral relations and appreciated recent gains in bilateral trade. Also exchanged views on regional & global developments,'' he tweeted.

The Turkish President, a close ally of Pakistan, had repeatedly referred to the Kashmir issue in his address at the UN General Assembly sessions.

India in the past termed his remarks as "completely unacceptable", saying Turkiye should learn to respect the sovereignty of other nations and reflect on its own policies more deeply.

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Over the years, it has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017. Turkiye is a dialogue partner.

Iran is likely to be given the status of a permanent member of the SCO at the Samarkand summit.