Putin, Modi to meet on SCO margins; to discuss Russia-India cooperation in U.N., G20: Kremlin

Mr. Putin and Mr. Modi will attend the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO in Samarkand on September 15-16

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Uzbekistan this week and discuss issues of strategic stability, the situation in the Asia Pacific region and bilateral cooperation within the U.N. and G20, the Kremlin has announced.

Mr. Putin and Mr. Modi will attend the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the Uzbek city of Samarkand on September 15-16.

“A conversation on the international agenda with Mr. Modi will also take place, the sides will discuss issues of strategic stability, the situation in the Asia Pacific Region, and, of course, cooperation within major multilateral formats, such as the U.N., the G20 and the SCO,” the official Russian news agency TASS quoted Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov as saying.

“This is particularly important, because India will preside in the U.N. Security Council in December, and, in 2023, India will lead the SCO and will also chair the G20,” Mr. Ushakov told reporters on Tuesday.

The Ministry of External Affairs has not yet confirmed the meeting between Mr. Modi and Mr. Putin.

The Prime Minister is likely to hold a few bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the SCO Summit, the MEA said on Sunday while announcing the visit of Prime Minister Modi.