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WATCH | Pak minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's message before SCO meet in Goa
The meeting of SCO foreign ministers (CFM) is scheduled to be held on May 4-5 in Goa.
Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has reached Goa for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's Council of Foreign Ministers meeting. Earlier, while en route, Zardari - the first Pak foreign minister in India since Hina Rabbani Khar in 2011 - emphasised Pak's commitment to the SCO and said his visit was an indication of that commitment.
"I am going to India today where I will be the delegation of Pakistan to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM). My presence will show how important SCO is for Pakistan and how seriously it takes its membership. I am looking forward to engaging bilaterally with other foreign ministers," he said, adding that he anticipates holding 'constructive discussions with counterparts from friendly countries'.
The SCO meeting of foreign ministers will be held today and tomorrow in Goa.
China's Qin Gang will also participate in the meeting and news agency ANI shared photos of Qin and Zardari being welcomed at the venue.
Zardari earlier said his visit must not be seen in terms of bilateral ties.
"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."
Zardari's visit will be the first by a Pak foreign minister since Hina Rabbani Khar's 2011 trip. A formal meeting with India's S Jaishankar is not expected.
Meanwhile, Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif also tweeted to express his country's commitment to the SCO.
"Pakistan's decision to attend SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in India reflects our commitment to the SCO charter and multilateralism."
"We are committed to playing our part to advance our shared values of peace and stability in the region. We are all for win-win understandings based on connectivity, trade and mutually advantageous cooperation," Sharif tweeted.
The 20-year-old Shanghai Cooperation Organisation counts Russia and four central Asian countries - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan as its members - apart from India, China and Pakistan. India assumed chairmanship in September and will host key meets and the summit this year.
Earlier Arindam Bagchi, the Indian foreign ministry spokesperson, also played down expectation of a bilateral meet with Pakistan in Goa.
"We look forward to a successful meeting. It will not be appropriate to focus on participation by any one particular country," he said.
"Regarding the request for bilateral meetings, I think it is premature. Let's see the full participation. Usually, the external affairs minister does try to hold as many bilateral meetings as he can on the margins of such kinds of multilateral meetings."
