PM Modi holds bilateral talks with presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia

Qingdao, June 10

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held separate bilateral talks with presidents of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia on the sidelines of the SCO summit here to further strengthen India's ties with the three resource-rich countries.

India attaches great significance to ties with Kazakhstan. Had a wonderful meeting with President Nursultan Nazarbayev on the sidelines of the SCO Summit, Modi said in a tweet.

Modi met Nazarbayev and invited his country to join the International Solar Alliance, an initiative announced in 2015 whose primary objective is to work for efficient exploitation of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited Kazakhstan to join the International Solar Alliance and the President of Kazakhstan responded positively," said Ruchi Ghanashyam, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

Modi also met President of Kyrgyzstan Sooronbai Jeenbekov on the sidelines of the summit.

"Glad to have met the President of Kyrgyzstan, Sooronbay Jeenbekov. We deliberated on ways to add strength to our vibrant bilateral partnership," Modi tweeted.

He also held bilateral talks with Mongolia President Mongolia Khaltmaagiin Battulga.

"Strategic partnership based on deep civilizational, historical and cultural linkages! PM Modi met the President of Mongolia Khaltmaagiin Battulga on the sidelines of SCO Summit in Qingdao," said MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar.

Modi held nearly half a dozen bilateral meetings with leaders of other SCO countries.

Prime Minister Modi on Saturday had seperate meetings with the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon on the sidelines of the summit here and discussed a range of topics with them to further strengthen India's ties with the resource-rich Central Asian countries.  PTI

From left, front row: President of Mongolia Khaltmaagiin Battulga, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rouhani, Prime Minister of the Republic of India Narendra Modi, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sooronbay Jeenbekov, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon. From right: President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani, President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, and President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping. Kremlin via Reuters