Modi arrives in Uzbekistan for SCO summit

TIL Desk/National/Tashkent-Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here today to a warm welcome as he kicked off a two-day visit to attend the annual summit of the SCO with an aim to expand India’s engagement with the China-dominated grouping in areas of security, defence and energy.

In a special gesture, Modi was received at the Tashkent international airport by his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Miromonovich Mirziyoev. In the two-day summit that begins today, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) will start the process of India’s accession to the grouping as a full-fledged member along with Pakistan.

However, the spotlight is on Modi’s bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping later in the day during which the Prime Minister is expected to seek China’s support for India’s membership at the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) that controls access to sensitive nuclear technology.