PM Narendra Modi discusses ways to deepen bilateral cooperation with Turkish President Erdogan

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday reviewed bilateral relations and discussed ways to deepen cooperation in diverse sectors with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is a close ally of Pakistan and had repeatedly referred to the Kashmir issue in his address at the UN General Assembly sessions.

Modi met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Samarkand.

"PM @narendramodi held talks with President @RTErdogan on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Samarkand. The two leaders discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in diverse sectors," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted.



Arindam Bagchi, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, said the two leaders had "useful discussions" during the meeting. "Leaders reviewed bilateral relations and appreciated recent gains in bilateral trade. Also exchanged views on regional & global developments," he tweeted.



India had in the past termed Erdogan's remarks on the Kashmir issue as "completely unacceptable", saying Turkey should learn to respect the sovereignty of other nations and reflect on its own policies more deeply.

Modi is likely to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin shortly, what will reportedly be their first face-to-face meeting since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.

The two premiers are likely to discuss trade deals, pandemic and even the war.

"PM Modi’s bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev are almost fixed and the meetings will take place on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Samarkand," a source told ANI.

Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov also confirmed Putin's meeting with Modi.

The SCO summit 2022 kicked off yesterday. Modi is expected to hold bilateral talks with several world leaders. However, India's foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra declined to confirm a one-on-one meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The SCO's permanent members are China, India, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan. The meeting of the leaders comes after two years due to Covid, the leaders are likely to discuss trade and defence systems on the sidelines.