26th SCO Summit begins in Bishkek as Heads of state gather, round-table discussion underway

As the leaders got together for the family photography, PM Modi was seen briefly having an exchange with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A roundtable discussion was also held in Bishkek's Yrys Ordo Congress Hall on the sidelines of the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on Tuesday, consisting of the leaders of the member countries.

Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov, who is hosting the summit and serving as its chairman, was leading the discussion.

Alongwith Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon are also present at the SCO gathering.

The 26th SCO Leadership Summit brings together 10 member states, 15 partner countries and two observer countries to advance dialogue and cooperation on regional and global issues.

With the membership of 10 countries, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation represents about 25 per cent of global GDP. The SCO countries are developing long-term relations of good-neighbourliness, friendship and cooperation in the spheres of mutual interest based on the universally recognised principles and norms of international law.

The main goals are to strengthen mutual trust, friendship and good-neighbourliness, promote multilateral interaction to maintain and ensure peace, security and stability in the region, jointly address new challenges and threats, encourage effective and mutually beneficial cooperation in various spheres and promote economic growth and social and cultural development.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is participating in the summit, which will mark the 25th anniversary of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. India has been a full member of the organisation since 2017. Prime Minister Modi will address the summit, where he will highlight India's priorities of security, connectivity and opportunity at the forum.

The summit is also being conducted in an expanded "SCO Plus" format, bringing together leaders from more than a dozen other associated countries.

Among the leaders attending the expanded format are Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith and Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe. (ANI)