SCO meet: EAM Jaishankar greets Pakistan's Zardari with "Namastey" in Goa
Panaji, May 5: On Friday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar greeted Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari with a traditional "Namastey" gesture at a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Goa. This gesture was seen as a way to avoid a handshake, which has become a common practice during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Zardari is the first Pakistani foreign minister to visit India in almost 12 years, and he is attending the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM).
The two-day-long meeting of SCO member states began on Thursday in Goa. The Pakistan minister was received at the airport by Indian diplomat JP Singh, who is the Joint Secretary for the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran desk. The Pakistan politician was attending the SCO conclave at the invitation of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
In a video shared by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Zardari expressed his happiness about arriving in Goa to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. He said that he hoped that the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) would be successful and that he was looking forward to constructive discussions with his counterparts from friendly countries.
On Friday, Jaishankar welcomed SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang to the Meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers. The discussions between Jaishankar and Qin Gang focused on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring "peace and tranquillity" in the border areas. Jaishankar tweeted that they had also discussed the SCO, G20, and BRICS.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also folded his hands and greeted Jaishankar as he was welcomed for the Meeting of the SCO meeting. Jaishankar and Lavrov had held bilateral talks the day before.
In addition to Zardari, the Foreign Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan were also received in Goa by the External Affairs Minister. India hosted a cultural event on May 4th evening ahead of the main meeting on May 5th. The theme for India's chairmanship of SCO in 2023 is 'Secure-SCO'.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organization established in 2001, and it has India, Russia, China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan as its members. India took over the rotating presidency of the SCO at the summit held in Samarkand in 2022. The last meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
- ANI
