"I look forward to deepening India's association with the SCO which will help us in economic, connectivity and counter- terrorism cooperation, among other things," Prime Minister Modi said ahead of his visit here.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called on Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev here and discussed ways to expand bilateral ties.
He met Nazarbayev soon after arriving in Kazakhstan's capital Astana on a two-day visit during which he will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit where India and Pakistan will be inducted as full members of the bloc.
"Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, met PM @narendramodi and discussed ways to expand bilateral ties," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted.
"I look forward to deepening India's association with the SCO which will help us in economic, connectivity and counter- terrorism cooperation, among other things," Prime Minister Modi said ahead of his visit here.
Modi is scheduled to address the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on Friday, when India, along with Pakistan, will be granted full membership of the SCO. The PM is also expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the meeting amid growing differences between the two countries over a number of issues.
Modi and Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif were in the Leaders' Lounge at the Astana Opera on Thursday evening. Since it was the first occasion when the two leaders met after Sharif's operation, Modi inquired about his health.
Modi will likely pitch for a concerted global action plan to contain terrorism. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani are among the prominent leaders who will be participating in the summit. The two-day event is also likely to deliberate on granting full membership to Iran. Diplomatic sources said combating terrorism will be discussed at length by the leaders apart from deliberating on boosting trade among member countries.
Before leaving for Astana, PM took to social media and said, "At this meeting, on completion of the process, India will become a full member of the SCO, upon which SCO will represent over 40 per cent of humanity and nearly 20 per cent of global GDP. We launched the process of full membership in Tashkent meeting of the SCO last year. I look forward to deepening India's association with the SCO which will help us in economic, connectivity and counter-terrorism cooperation, among other things."
The meeting between Modi and Xi Jinping will be watched closely in the wake of recent tensions between both countries over issues like One Belt, One Road project and China's opposition to India's membership in the NSG.
In May, India had boycotted the opening of the OBOR project in Shanghai in which nearly 40 nations had participated. India raised strong objections to the project, part of which runs through Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, raising the question of territorial integrity.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India — along with Pakistan — is expected to be formally inducted in the grouping. So far both nations had observer status. PM Modi and President Xi will have many other opportunities to meet next few months. Both are attending the G20 summit next month in Germany's Hamburg.
It will be followed by the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit in China's Xiamen in September.
While India will seek to bridge the gap with central Asian countries on issues related to trade, connectivity and energy through the membership of SCO, its interest lies in participating in SCO's Tashkent-based RATS (Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure). MEA Joint Secretary (Eurasia) GV Srinivas said, as a member, India will participate fully in any SCO exercise, including on terrorism. \"There's little possibility of India staying out of such an exercise.
We hope to benefit from RATS joint exercises against terrorism and also its data bank on terrorists,'' he said.
—With agency inputs
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Modi-Nazarbayev")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}