New Delhi, Sept. 16: Participating at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the SCO member countries should grant rights to transit and improve connectivity. According to the Indian Media, Modi’s reference was clearly to Pakistan, whose Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was present at the SCO leaders’ session.

The Indian Prime Minister also flagged the impact on global supply chains due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the energy and food security issues.

Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed support for India, which is going to assume the Presidency of the SCO and will host the summit next year.

At a time of global turbulence in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukaine and China’s aggressive posturing over Taiwan, Prime Minister Modi reached Samarkand in Uzbekistan Thursday night for the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

The Prime Minister’s flight landed around the time other SCO leaders were at a dinner hosted by Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev whose country is the current chair of the organisation. Modi was received at the airport in Samarkand by Uzbekistan Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov.

Modi is attending the summit Friday along with China President Xi Jinping, Russia President Vladimir Putin, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Iran President Ebrahim Raisi, among others.

This is the first in-person SCO summit since the leaders gathered at Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan in June 2019.