COUNTER-TERROR, TALIBAN WILL TOP PM'S SCO AGENDA IN SAMARKAND

A bilateral meeting is likely between PM Modi and President Xi at the Uzbek capital.

- MANISH CHAND

NEW DELHI

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the historic city of Samarkand is set to be a high visibility diplomatic show as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will join the leaders from eight member countries and other observer states and dialogue partners to sculpt new pathways of regional peace and prosperity amid a polarised international landscape. Uzbekistan, the host of the summit, is leaving no stones unturned to make the summit a success, as this will be the first in-person summit after a hiatus of two years of the coronavirus pandemic.

The world will be watching the Samarkand summit closely as it will not be just about SCO, but many important bilateral meetings are expected to take place on the sidelines, including the talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. This will be President Xi's first foreign trip after the pandemic. There is a strong possibility of a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Putin. The prospects of a bilateral meeting between PM Modi and President Xi, which appeared far-fetched only a few days ago, have brightened as the Chinese and the Indian sides have agreed to withdraw their troops from Gogra-Hot Springs in Ladakh by 12 September.