SCO Summit Live: Modi Talks Terror as Sharif Listens On

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Kazakhstan on a two-day visit to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, where India and Pakistan will be inducted as full members of the bloc, in the first ever expansion since its inception in 2001. For all the live updates on the SCO Summit, follow The Quint.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today held talks with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and conveyed India's firm support to the war-ravaged country in "resolutely and effectively" combating the challenge of terrorism.

The Prime Minister strongly condemned the recent spate of terrorist attacks in Kabul and other parts of Afghanistan, and expressed India's sincere condolences on loss of hundreds of innocent lives.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

The two leaders discussed the current situation in Afghanistan with specific reference to fighting terrorism, and promoting peace, stability and reconciliation in the country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined several global leaders at the inauguration of Kazakhstan's World EXPO 2017 which showcases vital innovation and technological prowess of the resource-rich central Asian country.

Modi visited several parts of the expo and later attended its gala inauguration.

India is among over 100 countries which are presenting their pavilions at the expo which is expected to be visited by millions of visitors over the next three months.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Friday entered a new phase in its history with the incorporation of India and Pakistan as new full members during its annual summit in this Kazakhstan capital.

The two South Asian countries are the first to join the organization since it was founded in 2001 by Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to foster multilateral cooperation on security issues, reports Efe.

India and Pakistan now have a new space to work out their differences, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at the historic gathering inaugurated on Friday.

He said the SCO was becoming one of the world's gravitational centers and one of the foundations of the current global order.

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev said at the inauguration ceremony that the entry of the new members would give fresh impetus to the organization's development and further boost its relevance internationally.

Thanking the SCO for welcoming India’s membership, PM Modi urged the member nations to work in unison towards beating terrorism and radicalistion.

He also spoke about climate change, encouraging the SCO to work towards the cause by “devoting attention” to the crisis.

Following Modi’s address, Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif took center-stage, welcoming India into the organisation.

PM Modi met Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.

Modi arrived in the Kazakh capital on Thursday on a two-day visit to attend the SCO summit where India and Pakistan will be inducted as full members of the bloc.

PM Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Astana on Friday morning.

The meeting is seen as an effort to repair ties hit by growing differences between the two countries over a host of issues including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and NSG.

It is the first between the two leaders after India boycotted the high-profile Belt and Road Forum held in Beijing last month in which 29 world leaders took part.

India abstained from the summit to highlight its concerns over the USD 50 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor which is part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and passes through Gilgit and Baltistan in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

China is vocal about its stand to block India's admission into the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). It had also stalled India's move to list JeM chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN.

After Astana, Modi and Xi are also expected to cross paths at the G20 summit to be held next month in Hamburg, Germany followed by Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (BRICS) summit to be held in Xiamen, China in September.

Also Read: India & China Must Manage Differences Appropriately: Xi Tells Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif and exchanged greetings at the Astana Opera.

Modi enquired about Sharif’s health and also about his mother and family.

PM Narendra Modi met President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan as his first engagement in Astana.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Kazakhstan to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.

PM Modi said he looks forward to deepening India's association with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a day ahead of his visit to Kazakhstan to attend the summit of the six-nation forum.

During the summit in Astana, India and Pakistan will be become full members of the Eurasian grouping comprising, at present, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Modi, who will be undertaking a two-day visit to Astana, said India has long-standing relations with the SCO members and he looked forward to them progressing further through the grouping for "mutual betterment and growth of our countries and our people."

Also Read: India to Become SCO Member & Join Pak, China in Counter-Terrorism

The entry of India and Pakistan into the SCO could help them to resolve their bilateral differences, though there are apprehensions that their hostility could affect the unity of the China-dominated outfit, a state-run Chinese daily said.

"There is some concern that the hostility between India and Pakistan might affect the organisation's unity. However, the SCO will also become an ideal platform for members with disputes to solve their problems bilaterally based on the Shanghai Spirit," the Global Times said quoting Li Wei, an anti-terror expert at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations.

India and Pakistan will be formally admitted into the China-dominated six-nation grouping at the SCO summit in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.

Read the full story on The Quint.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will attend the SCO summit in Astana, Kazakhstan tomorrow where Pakistan will be granted full member status along with India.

"Pakistan will become a full member of the SCO at Astana," the Foreign Office said today in a statement.

Pakistan has been an Observer with SCO since 2005 and it applied for full membership of the organisation in 2010. The decision, in principle, to give membership to Pakistan was taken by the SCO Heads of State meeting held in Ufa, Russia in 2015.

"Pakistan fully subscribes to the Charter of SCO and the 'Shanghai Spirit'. As an Observer, we have been actively participating in the activities of the Organisation," it said.

It said Pakistan shares with the SCO and its member states, deep-rooted historical and cultural links, as well as strong economic and strategic complementarities.

India will be admitted as a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) during the summit of the regional grouping on 8-9 June in Kazakhstan, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be present.

There is a possibility of a bilateral meeting between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the sidelines of the summit at Astana, capital of Kazakhstan. However, the Ministry of External Affairs has denied any interaction with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

“Indications are that the last leg of the entire process, as per the Memorandum of Obligations, which is the confirmation (of membership) by the heads of the states of the existing members of the SCO, is going to happen in Astana,” GV Srinivas, joint secretary of the Eurasia division in the Ministry of External Affairs, said.