SCO Summit: Indian Prime Minister Modi holds talks with Russian and Ch

Bishkek: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, at Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan. During the meeting, Prime Minister Modi held bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. China proposed that India should hold talks with Pakistan. However, India dismissed the Chinese proposal on the spot, saying that India had not changed its stance regarding Pakistan.

During the SCO Summit, bilateral talks were held between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Along with the bilateral issues, the topic of the Chinese support to Pakistan, came up during the discussions. At the time, the issue over Pakistan continuing to sponsor terrorism was underscored. While speaking on the matter, the Chinese President advised India to hold talks with Pakistan. The Indian Prime Minister rejected the proposal then and there. Prime Minister Modi lambasted the Pakistani Prime Minister who had proposed talks and said that Pakistan needed to first ensure a conducive environment free of terrorism, in order to make the talks possible.

Prime Minister Modi reminded that the differences between them over declaring Masood Azhar, as a global terrorist and the success achieved by both the countries, in resolving the problems in opening a branch of Bank of China, in India, had been resolved. At the same time, Indian Prime Minister expressed satisfaction over the initiation of strategic talks between India and China.

Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to strengthen the ties between the two countries during India-Russia bilateral talks. Also, Prime Minister Modi was extended an invitation to visit Russia during the meeting.

Questions were consistently raised over whether talks would be held between the Indian Prime Minister and his Pakistani counterpart. Nevertheless, the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, once again, clarified that such a meeting was unlikely. Pakistan has claimed that a meeting between the Indian and Pakistani Prime Ministers seemed possible during the summit although India has rejected it. Yet both the leaders may come face to face and a formal discussion could ensue during the summit but would be meaningless as it wouldn’t be a bilateral meeting. During the SCO summit of the Foreign Ministers a few days ago, such a meeting had taken place between the Indian Foreign Minister, Sushma Swaraj and the Pakistani Foreign Minister, Sham Mahmood Qureshi. Albeit, India had clarified that it was not a bilateral meeting.

Prime Minister Modi is said to have avoided the Pakistan airspace on his way to Bishkek and travelled from over Oman instead. India thus delivered a stern message that we would not pass through the Pakistan airspace even if it took a longer duration.