Foreign ministers of eight member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) are meeting in Goa on Thursday and Friday, May 4 and 5. This important meeting will set the stage for the SCO Leaders’ Summit to be held in July in New Delhi.
The theme of India’s Chairmanship of SCO in 2023 is ‘SECURE-SCO’. India attaches special importance to SCO in promoting multilateral, political, security, economic and people-to-people interactions in the region.
“The ongoing engagement with SCO has helped India promote its relations with the countries in the region with which India has shared civilizational linkages, and is considered India’s extended neighbourhood,” said an official statement.
“SCO pursues its policy based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations, non-interference in internal affairs, equality of all member States and mutual understanding and respect for opinions of each of them,” it added.
Dr S Jaishankar, who reached Goa ahead of the meeting has tweeted today, “Started my meetings at SCO CFM with a productive interaction with Secretary General Zhang Ming. Appreciate his support for India’s SCO Presidency”.
He added, “Indian presidency is driven by a commitment to SECURE SCO. Its key focus areas are startups, traditional medicine, youth empowerment, buddhist heritage and science & technology”.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has reached Goa to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s foreign ministers’ meeting. He is scheduled to hold a bilateral with EAM Dr S Jaishankar today.
China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang will travel to Pakistan on Friday on a two-day visit after attending the meeting of the SCO Foreign Ministers hosted by India in Goa, media reports said.
Besides being the Foreign Minister, Qin is also the State Councillor, a higher rank associated with the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC).
Pakistan’s foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto will be attend the gathering too. Bilawal will be the first foreign minister to visit India after a gap of nearly 12 years, reported Business Recorder. Bilawal has himself announced his participation posting his video on Twitter. He said, “On my way to Goa, India. Will be leading the Pakistan delegation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization CFM. My decision to attend this meeting illustrates Pakistan’s strong commitment to the charter of SCO”. He further said, “During my visit, which is focused exclusively on the SCO, I look forward to constructive discussions with my counterparts from friendly countries”.
The official engagements begin on May 5 with the arrival of foreign ministers and heads of delegations at the meeting venue, followed by a group photo.
The meeting of the council of foreign ministers (CFM) will begin in the morning and by noon the ‘decision document’ will be signed, which will be followed by a working lunch.
The event will conclude with the signing of a Memorandum with New Dialogue Partners. The leaders will then hold various bilateral meetings with their respective counterparts from other nations.
India, since becoming a member in 2017, has persistently pushed for the strengthening of collaboration on issues pertaining to regional security, defence, and combating terrorism, among others.
