'Salaam from Goa, India': Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari arrives in Goa for SCO meeting

PANAJI (Goa): Pakistan Minister of Foreign Affairs Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday arrived in Goa to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Foreign Ministers meeting. In a video shared on Twitter, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said he will hold meeting with his counterparts from Russia and Uzbekistan and attend a dinner hosted for all the Foreign Ministers in Goa.

"Assalamualaikum, we have reached Goa, India on the occasion of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). I will first hold meeting with Russian Foreign Minister. Then, he will hold a meeting with Uzbekistan Foreign Minister. I will attend the dinner hosted for all the foreign ministers and there are one-two interviews lined up in the day," Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said in a video shared on Twitter.

Sharing the video on Twitter, he stated, "Salaam, from Goa, India."



Tthe two-day-long meeting of Foreign Ministers of SCO member states began in Goa on Thursday.

The first Pakistani foreign minister to visit India in almost 12 years, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said he looks forward to constructive discussions with his counterparts from friendly countries. In 2011, then Pakistan foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar visited India.

"I am happy to arrive in Goa for participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. I am leading the Pakistan delegation at SCO and hope that the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) will be successful," Zardari said in a video shared by the spokesperson for Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Indian diplomat JP Singh, joint secretary, Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran desk, received Pakistan's Foreign minister. Earlier on Thursday, Zardari said he is leading the Pakistan delegation to the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting (CFM) in Goa.

Zardari said his decision to attend the meeting underlines Pakistan's strong commitment to the SCO charter. "On my way to Goa, India. Will be leading the Pakistan delegation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization CFM. My decision to attend this meeting illustrates Pakistan's strong commitment to the charter of SCO," Bilawal said in a video he tweeted ahead of his departure from Pakistan.

"During my visit, which is focused exclusively on the SCO, I look forward to constructive discussions with my counterparts from friendly countries," Zardari said.

The Pakistan politician is attending the SCO meeting at the invitation of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

The theme of India's Chairmanship of SCO in 2023 is 'Secure-SCO'.

India attaches a special importance to SCO in promoting multilateral, political, security, economic and people-to-people interactions in the region.

The last meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

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