Goa, 4 May 2023 (TDI): On Thursday, the Pakistani Foreign Minister met with Secretary General SCO Zhang Ming on the sidelines of SCO’s Council of Foreign Ministers in Goa, India. They exchanged ideas on the organization’s ongoing activities and reform process of the organization.
FM Bilawal assured the Secretary General-SCO of Pakistan’s full support in realizing the vision of the SCO leadership. In this regard, the Pakistani Foreign Minister’s visit to India to attend the SCO-CFM meeting confirms Pakistan’s support for the vision of the SCO.
After landing in India, FM Bilawal explicitly reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to the SCO, “There couldn’t be a more powerful indication of the importance that Pakistan attaches to the SCO than my presence here in Goa for this CFM.”
India’s unilateral action of revoking Articles 370 and 35A in 2019 upset Pakistan leading to a complete cut off diplomatic ties between the two states. However, the presence of the Pakistani Foreign Minister in India shows Pakistan’s commitment to regional integration and peace.
The Secretary General-SCO appreciated Pakistan’s strong commitment to the SCO. He also appreciated Pakistan’s contribution to regional cooperation, peace, connectivity, and prosperity.
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India is hosting the current SCO-CFM meeting taking place in Goa. Foreign Ministers of the member countries are meeting in Goa from 4-5 May. This important meeting will pave the way for the SCO Leaders’ Summit to be held in July in New Delhi.
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SCO currently has eight members. These members are China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. Since its birth in 2001, the SCO has largely dealt with regional terrorism, regional security, ethnic separatism, religious extremism, and regional development.
The Agenda of the SCO-CFM includes the day-to-day activities of the organization, arranging the meetings of the council of heads of state, and discussing international issues. Moreover, CFM has the privilege to issue statements on behalf of SCO.
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