Chinese foreign minister Gang, Pakistan’s Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Russia’s Lavrov, external affairs minister S Jaishankar and counterparts from other SCO states will meet in Goa on May 4-5 (Image: Reuters/PTI)
Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s visit has emerged as one of the key talking points of the meeting.
The two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers Meeting will kick-off today in Goa and the state has decked up in Goan style to welcome ministers and delegates from the member states of the group.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar arrived in Goa on Wednesday to take stock of the preparations ahead of the meeting. He is also scheduled to hold several bilateral meetings with his SCO counterparts throughout the day.
News agency ANI, citing an official from the ministry of external affairs (MEA), said Jaishankar will hold meetings with foreign ministers of Russia, China and Uzbekistan.
Lavrov is expected to reach Goa this morning and will hold bilateral talks with other SCO members other than India. The meeting of SCO foreign ministers is being held amid rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
It remains unclear whether the alleged assassination attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin, which Russia has blamed on Ukrainians, will be discussed at the meeting or not.
One of the main talking points of the meeting will be the visit of Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
This is the first time in seven years a Pakistan foreign minister is visiting India for a multilateral conference.
The last foreign minister from Pakistan to visit India was Sartaj Aziz, former foreign minister in the Nawaz Sharif-led government, who visited in 2016 for the Heart of Asia conference.
Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang will also visit India for the SCO foreign ministers conclave. The Chinese foreign ministry earlier said that Qin Gang will exchange views on regional and international situations in his meeting with SCO member states.
“At the meeting, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang will exchange views with other SCO member states’ foreign ministers on the international and regional situation and SCO cooperation in various fields, among other topics, to make full preparation for this year’s SCO summit,” a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said, according to ANI.
India took over the rotating presidency of the SCO following the Samarkand Summit in Uzbekistan in 2022. The foreign ministers conclave will be held over two days. Formal invitation for the event was sent to all SCO countries’ foreign ministers earlier this year.
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