PM Modi likely to skip SCO summit, plans to visit Moscow for India-Russia talks
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the SCO summit to be held on July 3 and 4 in Astana, Kazakhstan, but reports coming in from Russia suggest that he is keen to visit Moscow around July 8 for the India-Russia summit.
According to sources in Russia, the visit is almost finalised and a formal announcement from the Kremlin is expected soon.
This summit between India and Russia is taking place after a gap of almost two years, mainly due to the outbreak of conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
“Prime Minister Modi’s decision to skip the SCO summit is strategic, as India considers Russia an ally. A bilateral meeting between the two leaders is necessary to strengthen the strong ties between India and Russia,” a source said.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine that began on February 24, 2022, prompted President Putin to maintain regular dialogue with Prime Minister Modi.
President Putin was among the first leaders to congratulate PM Modi on his return to power for the third time earlier this month.
India has continued its support for Russia during the conflict and has significantly increased its crude oil imports from them, rising from a mere 2 per cent to over 25 per cent. Despite criticism from the international community, India’s stance towards Russia has been acknowledged globally.
Although PM Modi is unlikely to attend the SCO summit in Astana, he recently held talks with Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, in which he expressed India’s commitment to further advance its strategic partnership with Kazakhstan and extend support for the upcoming SCO summit.
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar is expected to represent India at the SCO summit in Astana, though an official announcement is yet to be made.
India was set to host the SCO summit last year (2023), but due to its commitments to the G20, it opted for a virtual summit instead of hosting a leaders’ summit.
