New Delhi, Aug 28:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a four-day visit to Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan from August 29 to September 1 for bilateral talks and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit.
Modi will first travel to Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent on August 29 and 30, where he will hold talks with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
The two leaders are expected to review cooperation in trade, investment, defence, digital connectivity, energy, education and people-to-people exchanges.
The visit will be Modi’s fourth to Uzbekistan. He is also expected to visit the Lal Bahadur Shastri memorial and the Mahatma Gandhi Centre at the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies.
From Tashkent, the Prime Minister will travel to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit.
The summit is expected to focus on the evolving regional security situation. In his address, Modi is likely to highlight India’s priorities of security, connectivity and opportunity.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif are among the leaders expected to attend the summit, which coincides with the 25th anniversary of the SCO.
India became a full member of the organisation in 2017. Modi is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with several leaders on the sidelines of the summit.