Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting.
This is the first meeting between the leaders since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. Addressing the war, Prime Minister Modi reiterated his call for a cessation of hostilities and the need for dialogue.
According to a press release, the Indian and Russian leaders also discussed bilateral cooperation, regional and global issues of interest, global food security, and energy security.
PM Modi delivers remarks at the SCO Meet
Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted how the pandemic and the Ukraine war disrupted the global supply of food and energy. The SCO must develop reliable and resilient supply chains, he said.
PM Modi suggested that the cultivation of millets could be one way of ensuring food security. The SCO could consider organizing a ‘Millet Food Festival’ in 2023, as the year is celebrated as the UN International Year of Millets, he said.
The Prime Minister pitched India as a manufacturing hub in the making and detailed how technology is being applied in a people-centric development model.
Pointing out that there are about 100 unicorns among the Indian start-ups, PM Modi expressed willingness to set up a Special Working Group on Start-ups and Innovation to share the experience with SCO nations.
WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine
India is one of the most affordable destinations for medical and wellness tourism in the world, said PM Modi.
He pointed out that the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine was inaugurated in Gujarat in April 2022 and that this would be the WHO’s first and only global center for traditional medicine.
Mr. Modi said that SCO nations must increase cooperation, and India will take the initiative for a new SCO Working Group on Traditional Medicine.
Bilateral meetings with the leaders of Turkey and Iran
PM Modi held bilateral talks with President Erdogan of Turkey and President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran on the sidelines of the SCO summit.
Mr. Modi reviewed the progress in the development of Chabahar Port in his meeting with the Iranian leader.