Modi meets Kyrgyz and Armenian leaders ahead of SCO summit in New Delhi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held separate talks with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan before the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.
Ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened bilateral meetings with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in New Delhi. With Zhaparov, the leaders reviewed progress in their relationship and pledged to deepen strategic partnership, emphasizing trade, student exchanges and cultural projects. The dialogue with Pashinyan covered defence, economic, pharmaceutical, mining, education and cultural cooperation, alongside discussions on developments in the West Asian region.
The SCO gathering began with an informal dinner hosted by Zhaparov and included the opening ceremony of the World Nomad Games. While Modi is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping informally at the summit, a formal meeting between the two will wait for the BRICS summit scheduled for mid-September in India. Officials indicated that both sides are working to finalize that later encounter.
Why it matters
The talks signal India's push to expand strategic and economic ties with Central Asian and Caucasus partners ahead of major multilateral meetings.
How this story developed
- Aug 28 China, Russia and India convene in Bishkek for SCO summit challenging US influence
- Aug 31 India’s enthusiasm for the SCO is reported to be waning.
- Aug 31 Xi pledged stronger China‑Russia cooperation at the summit.
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