Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari arrived in India on Thursday for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Goa on Friday, marking the first high-level visit by a Pakistani official to India in more than a decade.
“Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has arrived to attend the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers,” the foreign office said in a message to journalists, sharing a picture of the Pakistani official and his Indian counterpart.
Despite the visit, there are no plans for Bhutto-Zardari to meet with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar separately, and his visit is not expected to lead to a breakthrough in the strained Indian-Pakistani relations.
“During my visit, which is focused exclusively on the SCO, I look forward to constructive discussions with my counterparts from friendly countries,” Bhutto-Zardari had said in a tweet before arriving in Goa.
During the CFM meeting, the foreign ministers, including Russia’s Sergei Lavrov and China’s Qin Gang, will prepare the ground for an SCO summit in India in July that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping are expected to attend in person.
The SCO is a political and security union of countries spanning much of Eurasia, including China, India, and Russia.
Sideline Meetings
FM Bilawal Bhutto carried out many important meetings on the sidelines of the SCO, which are given below:
Russian FM
Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Goa.
The two leaders discussed matters of mutual interest, including bilateral, regional, and international issues. They assured each other of their commitment to work closely to deepen cooperation in areas such as food security, energy, and people-to-people contacts.
Bhutto-Zardari highlighted the significance of the SCO as a platform for enhancing cooperation and coordination with Russia.
SCO Secretary General
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Secretary-General, Ambassador Zhang Ming, also met Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on the sidelines of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Goa. Bhutto-Zardari briefed Ambassador Ming on the activities of the SCO in pursuit of the organization’s leadership’s vision. Ambassador Ming appreciated Pakistan’s consistent support for the SCO and acknowledged its constructive contributions to strengthening regional cooperation, connectivity, peace, and prosperity.
Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister
Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardarialso met with Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister BakhtiyorSaidov. During the meeting, the two foreign ministers discussed matters of bilateral interest, with a special focus on enhancing economic ties and regional connectivity between the two countries. The meeting between the two foreign ministers underscored the commitment of both countries to work closely to deepen their economic and trade ties for mutual benefit.
Tajikistan’s Foreign Minister
Pakistani FM also held a meeting with Tajikistan’s Foreign Minister SirodjiddinMukhriddin, during which the two foreign ministers discussed a broad spectrum of bilateral relations, including ways to enhance economic ties and expedite the completion of connectivity projects, particularly the Central Asia-South Asia 1000 (CASA-1000) project.
The CASA-1000 project aims to establish an electricity grid between Pakistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Kyrgyzstan to facilitate energy trade and regional connectivity. The meeting between the two foreign ministers underscored the importance of Pakistan’s engagement with its regional partners to promote connectivity, strengthen economic and trade ties, and advance regional integration.
