S Jaishankar Welcomes Pak Foreign Minister At Regional Meet SCO In Goa

Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar today welcomed his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in Goa at a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). Visuals showed the foreign ministers' customary greeting with folded hands before the two posed for pictures and Mr Jaishankar directed him to the venue.

Minutes later, with Mr Zardari present, S Jaishankar made a strong statement on the "menace of terrorism", including cross-border terrorism.

Bilawal Bhutto has become the first senior leader from the neighbouring country to visit India in almost 12 years. However, there's no confirmation yet of a bilateral between India and Pakistan's Foreign Ministers.

Mr Zardari's visit to India to attend the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting comes amid continuing strain in ties between the two countries on a host of issues, including Islamabad's use of cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Pakistan foreign minister was received at the airport in Goa yesterday by JP Singh, the joint secretary heading the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division at the external affairs ministry.

On his arrival in the coastal state, Mr Zardari had said he looks forward to constructive discussions with his counterparts from friendly countries.

The Pakistan politician is attending the SCO conclave at the invitation of S Jaishankar.

"I am happy to arrive in Goa for participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. I am leading the Pakistan delegation at SCO and hope that the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) will be successful," Mr Zardari said in a video on Thursday shared by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson.

Ahead of day two of the SCO conclave, foreign ministers of the member countries began to arrive at the Taj Exotica venue, where S Jaishankar also welcomed SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, too, folded hands and greeted his Indian counterpart as he was welcomed to the meeting.

Mr Jaishankar and Mr Lavrov had yesterday held bilateral talks.

The Foreign Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan were also received in Goa by the External Affairs Minister.

Earlier, on the sidelines of the big meeting at Benaulim in Goa, Mr Jaishankar spoke to Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who reiterated that the situation at the India-China border is generally stable, and both sides should consolidate the present achievements and strictly abide by the relevant agreements while pushing for further cooling and easing of the conditions for sustainable peace and tranquillity at the frontier.

In a tweet after the talks, Mr Jaishankar said the focus remained on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

"A detailed discussion with State Councillor and FM Qin Gang of China on our bilateral relationship. Focus remains on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas," he said.

India took over the rotating presidency of the SCO at the Samarkand SCO Summit in 2022. This year, India is hosting several important SCO meetings, including the Foreign Ministers' meeting in Goa from May 4-5.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organisation established in 2001. The SCO has India, Russia, China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as its members.