India, Russia to discuss energy security as oil, coal trade soars
30 Sep 2022
The SCO originated in the 1990s with a security agreement
between Russia, China and ex-Soviet states in central Asia. India and Pakistan
joined five years ago, making it the world's biggest regional organisation,
comprising 40% of the world's population and more than half of the Eurasian
land mass.
The two-day summit in the Silk Road city of Samarkand will be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese Premier Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, among others.
It coincides with a sharp rise in Indian imports of Russian oil, coal and fertiliser, a vital outlet for Moscow as it seeks to secure new markets after Western sanctions were imposed following the invasion of Ukraine.
"When we talk about economic cooperation in the context of SCO, then
questions about energy security and other issues ... will be a part of the
discussions," Kwatra said when asked if energy security and currency swaps
would be discussed during Modi's trip.
The SCO originated in the 1990s with a security agreement between Russia, China
and ex-Soviet states in central Asia. India and Pakistan joined five years ago,
making it the world's biggest regional organisation, comprising 40% of the
world's population and more than half of the Eurasian land mass.
Discussions at the two-day summit from Thursday will involve "topical,
regional and international issues, reform and expansion of SCO, the security
situation in the region ... strengthening connectivity as well as boosting
trading and tourism in the region," Kwatra added.
The Kremlin has said Putin and Modi will meet on Friday and discuss trade,
including food, as well as sales of Russian fertilizer.