Friday, as Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari came at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting in Goa, Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar greeted him.
The CFM meeting was slated to start in the morning, and by noon, the “decision document” would have been signed. A working lunch would then follow.
To attend the two-day SCO CFM meeting, FM Bilawal, who is leading the team from his country, arrived in Goa on Thursday.
📸 FM @BBhuttoZardari among SCO Foreign Ministers participating in Council of Foreign Ministers in Goa.#PakFMatSCO
🇵🇰🤝🌍 pic.twitter.com/64npTyMFsB
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) May 5, 2023
Mumtaz Zehra Baloch, a spokeswoman for the Foreign Office, stated that India has given Pakistan no cause to object to Bilawal’s visit to the SCO meeting in Goa.
They did not give us an opportunity to voice our complaints. So far, everything is going well, she told in an exclusive interview.
When questioned if Bilawal and Jaishankar’s handshake was indicative of prior animosity, Baloch responded, “You are giving it a lot of importance. It was just a formality as usual.
Bilawal had travelled to India for the first time the day before, expecting for a “successful” meeting of the SCO foreign ministers.
After nearly 12 years, Bilawal’s arrival marked the return of Pakistan’s foreign minister to the neighbouring nation.
Shortly after landing in Goa, the foreign minister gave a statement to the media in which he said: “I am glad to have been here to attend the SCO summit. Sincerely hoping for the SCO CFM’s success.
The statement added that Bilawal was welcomed by a host in the same way that past foreign ministers had been.
The FO spokeswoman said it is too soon to comment at this time in response to a question on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s trip to India in July to attend the SCO summit.
A number of his peers from various countries are expected to interact with Bilawal and his delegation during the visit.
The foreign minister said that he will meet with Sergey Lavrov in a video message that he released on Twitter. Then, he will meet Bakhtiyor Saidov, the foreign minister of Uzbekistan.
After the sessions, Bilawal is scheduled to attend a dinner where the foreign ministers of every country will be in attendance. He will then do interviews with members of the media following that.
