Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar welcomed Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) in Goa.
The meeting of the CFM was scheduled to begin in the morning, and by noon, the “decision document” was to be signed, followed by a working lunch. Bilawal, who was leading the Pakistani delegation, had arrived in Goa on Thursday to attend the two-day meeting of the SCO CFM.
Meanwhile, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zehra Baloch stated that India had not given Pakistan any reason to complain regarding Bilawal’s visit to attend the SCO meeting in Goa. Baloch further stated that Bilawal was welcomed by the host like any other foreign minister, and his handshake with his Indian counterpart Jaishankar was a routine formality. Bilawal’s visit to India was his first-ever, and he hoped for a “successful” meeting of the SCO foreign ministers.
???? FM @BBhuttoZardari among SCO Foreign Ministers participating in Council of Foreign Ministers in Goa.#PakFMatSCO
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— Spokesperson ???????? MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) May 5, 2023
During his visit, Bilawal, alongside his delegation, was set to engage with several of his counterparts from different nations. He was scheduled to meet his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, and Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov. Following the meetings, Bilawal was set to attend a dinner where foreign ministers from all the nations would be present. After that, he was scheduled to engage with media personnel for interviews.
Regarding Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to India in July to attend the SCO summit, the FO spokesperson said it was too early to say anything at the moment. Bilawal’s visit to India after a gap of nearly 12 years was seen as an opportunity to ease tensions between the two nations, which have been high since the 2019 Pulwama terror attack. Despite past bitterness, Bilawal’s visit and handshake with Jaishankar were a positive step towards peaceful relations between the two countries.
Pakistani FM Bilawal Bhutto arrives in India on maiden visit to attend SCO moot
