SCO ministers: Bilawal Bhutto landed in Goa on Thursday afternoon to take part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Foreign Ministers meeting. He attended the dinner hosted by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to mark the beginning of the two-day conclave. The two shook hands and exchanged greetings at the dinner, according to sources.
This is the first visit by a Pakistani foreign minister to India since Hina Rabbani Khar met the former External Affairs Minister of India, SM Krishna, in 2011. Khar is currently serving as Pakistan’s minister of state for foreign affairs.
Sartaj Aziz visited India in 2016
This is also the first high-level visit from Pakistan after its foreign affairs advisor, Sartaj Aziz, visited India in December 2016.
Before boarding a flight to India, the Pakistan minister in a video message said: “On my way to Goa, India. Will be leading the Pakistani delegation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization CFM. My decision to attend this meeting illustrates Pakistan’s strong commitment to the charter of SCO.”
Seeking constructive discussions
Bhutto emphasized that his visit is focused on the SCO and that he is looking forward to constructive discussions with “my counterparts from friendly countries”.
Others who attended the gala hosted by S Jaishankar at the sea-side Taj Exotica Resort in Benaulim included Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, Russia’s Sergey Lavrov and Uzbekistan’s Bakhtiyor Saidov and SCO Secretary General Zhang Ming. The foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan also attended.
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