PM Modi to begin bilateral visit to Kyrgyzstan on Friday, says Indian envoy

Bishkek: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will begin his bilateral visit to Kyrgyzstan on June 14 after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit ends in Bishkek, Indian Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Alok Dimri said on Thursday.

"The Prime Minister's bilateral visit to Kyrgyzstan will begin on June 14. He will inaugurate a business forum and hold delegation-level talks with Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov," Dimri told ANI.

The envoy said that bilateral relations between India and Kyrgyzstan have become stronger since 2015 after Modi's historic visit to Central Asia.

The Kyrgyz President had visited New Delhi in 2016 and also attended the Prime Minister's swearing-in ceremony on May 30.

"The Indian government has invested a lot of energy in building up the bilateral relations. There are a lot of expectations attached to the new chapter that has begun after the Prime Minister's victory in the general elections. The historic mandate that he won, has made the Prime Minister a world leader," Dimri told ANI.

Modi will land at Manas International Airport here this afternoon to attend the two-day SCO Summit in Bishkek which begins on Thursday.

The Prime Minister has a packed schedule on Thursday as he will be holding bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Summit shortly after reaching the Kyrgyz capital.

After the meetings, Modi will join an informal dinner hosted by Jeenbekov for the SCO leaders.

It will be the first time that the Prime Minister will share the same table with his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan amid strained relations between the two neighbours since the February 14 Pulwama terror attack. India has already clarified that there will be no official meeting between Modi and Khan.

Later in the evening, the Prime Minister will hold a bilateral meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

Modi, who will address the Summit tomorrow, is expected to focus on terrorism. India and Pakistan became full members of the SCO in 2017.

Founded in 2001, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are the founding members of the organisation. Modi is scheduled to return on Saturday evening.