There will also be an exchange of views on topical issues of the international and regional agenda…reports Asian Lite News
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will take part in the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states in India on May 4-5.
The heads of foreign policy departments plan to give priority attention to the substantive content of the upcoming meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State, which is scheduled for July 3-4 in New Delhi, according to an official release. They will also discuss drafts of the relevant documents and decisions.
There will also be an exchange of views on topical issues of the international and regional agenda.
In addition, the Russian Foreign Minister will have a number of bilateral meetings.
Meanwhile, Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu arrived in New Delhi on Thursday to take part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers’ meeting scheduled to be held on Friday in the national capital.
Li Shangfu will also take part in the bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh.
This is the first visit by the Chinese Defence Minister following the border transgression in Galwan.
Pak participation
On Pakistan’s participation in the SCO Foreign Ministers’ meeting which is set to take place in India, the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said that it will not be appropriate to focus on a particular member.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that his participation in a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Council in India reflected Islamabad’s commitment to the charter of the SCO and should not be seen in terms of bilateral ties.
Responding to a question on a programme on Dunya News aired on Thursday, he said he would represent Pakistan at the Foreign Ministers meeting to be held in Goa next month. “We are committed to the SCO charter and this visit should not be seen as a bilateral one but in the context of the SCO,” Bhutto-Zardari said. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday said that Bhutto-Zardari will lead the Pakistani delegation to the meeting of SCO foreign ministers (CFM) scheduled to be held on May 4-5 in Goa.
Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch during a weekly presser on Thursday stated that Bhutto-Zardari is attending the SCO-CFM meeting at the invitation of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
“Our participation at the meeting reflects Pakistan’s continued commitment to the SCO charter and process and the importance that Pakistan accords to the region in its foreign policy priorities,” the spokesperson said.
Bilawal will be the first foreign minister to visit India after a gap of nearly 12 years, reported Business Recorder. In 2011, then Pakistan foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar visited India.
India has formally sent invitations to all members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) including Pakistan and China for the upcoming foreign ministers’ meeting. (ANI)
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