Jaishankar welcomed the foreign ministers of the SCO member countries, Pakistan FM Bilawal Bhutto also reaches
Diplomat Times(Goa)- The meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers has started on Friday in Panaji, Goa. Prior to the meeting, Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. Jaishankar welcomed the foreign ministers of the SCO member countries. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has also reached India to attend this meeting.
The Indian Foreign Minister received the Pakistani Foreign Minister ahead of the foreign ministers’ meeting on Friday.
Pakistani Foreign Minister arrived in Goa on Thursday to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s meeting. On Thursday evening, a dinner program was organized in honor of the foreign ministers of the SCO member countries. During this, the foreign ministers greeted each other. According to media reports, both the leaders shook hands but its photographs have not been revealed.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari the first Pakistani foreign minister to visit India since 2011
Hina Rabbani Khar met her Indian counterpart SM Krishna in Delhi 12 years ago, but circumstances were different then. India and Pakistan were experiencing a limited thaw, and trying to boost trade. Pakistan’s relationship with the US was in a crisis. “The diplomatic moment back then was ripe for attempts at rapprochement. It’s a different story today,” Michael Kugelman of The Wilson Centre, an American think-tank, says.
In his address during the SCO meeting, Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar raised the issue of terrorism and indirectly targeted Pakistan.
Jaishankar said that terrorism continues to wreak havoc. We strongly believe that terrorism cannot be justified in any way and it must be stopped. This includes cross-border terrorism and all other forms of terrorism. The basic objective of the SCO meeting is to combat terrorism.
“Focus remains on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquility in the border areas,” he tweeted after the meeting.
Jaishankar also said he had a “comprehensive review of bilateral, global and multilateral cooperation” with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
Started my meetings at SCO CFM with a productive interaction with Secretary General Zhang Ming. Appreciate his support for India’s SCO Presidency.
Indian presidency is driven by a commitment to SECURE SCO. Its key focus areas are startups, traditional medicine, youth… pic.twitter.com/70YyqidQcj
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) May 4, 2023
READ MORE : PM Modi Landed in Samarkand to take part in the SCO Summit
S Jaishankar also said that reforms and modernization of SCO were also discussed. India has been demanding for a long time that English be made the third official language of the SCO, to enable more in-depth discussions among the English-speaking member states. India also sought support from member countries in favor of its demand.
ABOUT THE SCO
The Shanghai Five group was created on 26 April 1996 with the signing of the Treaty on Deepening Military Trust in Border Regions in Shanghai by the heads of states of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.
On 24 April 1997 the same countries signed the Treaty on Reduction of Military Forces in Border Regions in a meeting in Moscow, Russia.[6] On 20 May 1997 Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Chinese President Jiang Zemin signed a declaration on a “multipolar world”.
When India become part of SCO ?
Pakistan, India and Iran received observer status at the 2005 SCO summit in Astana, Kazakhstan on 5 July 2005. India and Pakistan became full members of the Shanghai Cooperative Organization in 2017.
SCO Summit Goa 2023 Agenda
Agenda at Shanghai Cooperation Organization (#SCO) Foreign Ministers meeting in Goa:
1.Bilateral talks between foreign ministers
2.Preparation for the meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State
3.The issue of SCO expansion (granting member status to 🇮🇷Iran and possible acceleration of 🇧🇾 Belarus joining the group)
4. Granting status of #SCO Dialogue Partners to Bahrain, Kuwait, Myanmar, Maldives and UAE
5. Coordinate foreign policies to promote the role of the United Nations 🇺🇳 in ensuring credible global security and sustainable economic growth.
By Shasi Kumar for DT Writer Dr. Sang Won Park contributed to this report. Some input from BBC