For India, this the first Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit as a full member.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today met the Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Secretary General Rashid Alimov in Quingdao and had a discussion with him on ways through which India's participation could strengthen the bloc.
The meeting came hours after
PM Modi landed in this picturesque coastal city of China's Shandong province.
"On the eve of SCO Summit, Secretary General, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Rashid Alimov calls on the PM @narendramodi. SCO Secretary General said that India is contributing greatly to the organisation since it became a full member of SCO in 2017. #IndiainSCO," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted.
"PM @narendramodi and Mr Alimov had meaningful discussions on ways through which India's participation can strengthen the SCO," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted.
During his meeting with PM Modi, Mr Alimov conveyed to him that the International Day of Yoga would be celebrated at the SCO Headquarters in Beijing on June 16.
It is for the first time that
PM Modi will be attending the SCO summit after India became a full member of the grouping last year.
The SCO has eight member countries which represent around 42 per cent of the world's population and 20 per cent of the global GDP.
India was an observer at the SCO since 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping which focus mainly on security and economic