Bilateral meetings on the sidelines
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon and Laos President Thongloun Sisoulith on the sidelines of the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, according to reports from ANI and Lokmat Times.
In a post on X, PM Modi described his conversation with President Rahmon as a "great conversation" and said India looks forward to boosting cooperation with Tajikistan across diverse sectors. The Prime Minister reportedly expressed India's readiness to strengthen cooperation with Tajikistan across various sectors.
PM Modi also met President Sisoulith of the Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR) on the sidelines of the summit. "Had a great conversation on boosting bilateral linkages between our nations," PM Modi said in a post on X.
Address at the SCO Summit
The meetings took place on the sidelines of the 26th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO, held in Bishkek under Kyrgyzstan's chairmanship. Earlier in the day, PM Modi addressed the summit, during which he reiterated India's position that all conflicts should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy rather than war.
"In today's interconnected world, the scope of security has expanded even further. The crisis in West Asia has shown that conflict in one region is not confined to that region," PM Modi said, according to Lokmat Times. "It impacts the entire world's energy security, maritime trade, and supply chains. Countries in the Global South bear the brunt of this. Therefore, India has been calling for the resolution of all tensions and wars through dialogue and diplomacy, not on the battlefield."
Terrorism and security challenges
PM Modi stressed that terrorism continues to pose a serious challenge to humanity and called for dismantling the entire ecosystem of terror financing, recruitment, radicalisation, and safe havens. He asserted that there can be no room for double standards on terrorism, saying, "Those countries which make terrorism a tool of their policy, provide shelter and support to terrorists, will have to be given a strong message that terrorism cannot be an instrument of policy for anyone."
He also flagged drug trafficking as a serious threat to the younger generation and regional security. PM Modi welcomed the centres being established within the SCO to address challenges like security threats, information security, and organised crime, describing them as effective instruments of practical coordination and timely action.
SCO Summit address
PM Modi attended the 26th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO, held in Bishkek. In his address, he reiterated India's position that all disputes should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy, not through war. He noted that in today's interconnected world, the scope of security has expanded, and the crisis in West Asia has demonstrated that conflict in one region affects the entire world's energy security, maritime trade, and supply chains, with the Global South bearing the brunt.
"Therefore, India has been calling for the resolution of all tensions and wars through dialogue and diplomacy, not on the battlefield," PM Modi said, as quoted by Lokmat Times.
Other engagements
During his visit to Bishkek, PM Modi also paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and held bilateral meetings with the presidents of Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Armenia, according to Lokmat Times. He arrived in Bishkek from Uzbekistan, where he had earlier held talks with the Uzbek leadership and paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.
The SCO Summit was held under Kyrgyzstan's chairmanship. The organisation comprises 10 member states, 15 dialogue partners, and several observer states, as reported by Lokmat Times.