Pakistan Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the ongoing Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Indian state Goa.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ spokesperson said in a tweet that during the meeting both foreign ministers discussed matters related to bilateral relations and regional and international developments.
The meeting also highlighted the importance of people-to-people relations and food security in the region.
During the meeting, the foreign minister assured his Russian counterpart to “work closely for further deepening cooperation in food security, energy and people-to-people contacts”.
FM Bilawal said that the SCO opened new vistas of cooperation and coordination with Russia.
Earlier today, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari reached India to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Council of Foreign Ministers meeting being held in Goa.
After landing in India, Bilawal, while speaking to the media, said: “I am happy that I have reached here in Goa to attend the SCO meeting. I hope that the SCO CFM will be a success.”
Bilawal is leading the country’s delegation at the SCO’s Council of Foreign Ministers meeting scheduled to be held from May 4-5 in Goa.
”Our participation in the meeting reflects Pakistan’s commitment to the SCO charter and processes and the importance that Pakistan accords to the region in its foreign policy priorities,” the FO spokesperson had said in a statement.
In addition to deliberating upon important regional and international issues and signing some of the institutional documents, the council will finalise the agenda and decisions to be adopted by the 17th SCO Council of Heads of State Meeting scheduled to take place in New Delhi on July 3-4, 2023.
The meeting will also witness the signing of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with five countries namely Bahrain, Kuwait Maldives, Myanmar and UAE to become Dialogue Partners of SCO.
Besides Pakistan, SCO member states include China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and India.
SCO’s major objectives include promoting mutual confidence and good, neighbourly relations among member states, strengthening regional peace, security and stability, and creating a framework for effective cooperation in the fields of politics, trade and economy, culture, science and technology, education, energy, transportation, tourism, and environmental protection etc.
Remember that SCO is a regional political and security bloc whose members include Russia, China, India, and Pakistan
The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Over the years, it has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations. India and Pakistan became permanent members of the Beijing-based SCO in 2017.
