Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and his Indian counterpart Jaishankar have shaken hands on the occasion of the meeting of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the Indian state of Goa.
A dinner was given by the Indian Foreign Minister in honor of the Council of Foreign Ministers, on this occasion, the Foreign Ministers of Pakistan and India shook hands.
According to sources, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was the last to arrive at the dinner. When Bilawal Bhutto arrived, Jaishankar stood on his seat and shook hands. Both foreign ministers exchanged words of welcome during the handshake. The first Russian foreign minister arrived at the dinner ceremony, Bilawal Bhutto and the Russian foreign minister arrived late at the dinner due to a mutual meeting.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is in India’s coastal city of Goa to attend the annual conference of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, where he met his Russian counterpart some time ago.
According to the spokesperson of the Foreign Office, the two leaders agreed to increase cooperation in Pakistan-Russia relations, regional and international affairs, food security and energy sector.
The closed-door meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization will discuss issues such as security, terrorism and cooperation among the member countries.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is the first Pakistani foreign minister to visit India since 2011. Bilawal is not expected to have a bilateral meeting with Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar.
Prominent Indian journalist Soha Sunny Haider has described Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s visit to India as positive.
Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said that the host country of the meeting is obliged to invite all the member countries, this is the official protocol.
The Indian media also has a mixed reaction, but the general opinion is that Bilawal Bhutto’s participation in the SCO is a good step towards the restoration of India-Pakistan relations.
Foreign analysts say that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization covers a region that is very important for Pakistan in the fields of trade, communications and energy, and that the organization is led by China, Pakistan’s main ally, Russia. is also a leader in this forum whose cooperation with Pakistan is deepening, so not participating in the conference is not in Pakistan’s regional interest.
