EAM Jaishankar meets Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov ahead of SCO summit

SCO Summit: India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) in Goa on Thursday. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Indian External Affairs Minister S.

Jaishankar had a light-hearted moment during their bilateral talks at the SCO meet. Jaishankar inquired if Lavrov had an opportunity to get some rest and a suntan during his visit to the Indian state of Goa. Lavrov responded humorously that he had about an hour and a half for that, but requested Jaishankar not to tell anybody about it.

Earlier on Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived at Goa’s Dabolim airport on Thursday morning to attend the two-day-long meeting of foreign ministers of the member states of the Shangai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). Lavrov is expected to have several bilateral meetings with his counterparts from other SCO countries. It is the second time this year that Lavrov is visiting India.

Previously he had attended the G20 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in New Delhi this March. India will also host a cultural event and a dinner this evening for its counterparts from China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. #WATCH | Goa: EAM S Jaishankar and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov hold talks on the sidelines of the SCO meeting.

pic. twitter. com/eweo7OheFE — ANI (@ANI) May 4, 2023 Also on Thursday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar conducted a dialogue with SCO Secretary General Zhang Ming on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM).

The agenda of the meeting between Jaishankar and Zhang Ming, which was held in Goa, was focused on the overall agenda of the ongoing SCO foreign minister’s meeting. “Started my meetings at SCO CFM with a productive interaction with Secretary General Zhang Ming. Appreciate his support for India’s SCO Presidency,” Jaishankar tweeted.

Jaishankar detailed several issues which will be part of the agenda at the SCO CFM. “Indian presidency is driven by a commitment to SECURE SCO. Its key focus areas are startups, traditional medicine, youth empowerment, buddhist heritage and science & technology,” the EAM tweeted.

“Looking forward to a successful CFM in Goa,” he added. Jaishankar is also scheduled to meet his counterparts from China and Uzbekistan on Thursday. Meanwhile, MEA Secretary ER Dammu Ravi informed that ‘Secure-SCO’ is the focus of India’s SCO Chairmanship in 2023.

The shared Buddhist heritage of SCO nations will also be highlighted during the summit. “PM Modi has articulated India’s priorities for the SCO Chair with the theme of “Towards a SECURE SCO”. The acronym SECURE was given by PM at the 2018 Qingdao Summit of SCO and it will lay down the main focus areas under our ongoing chairmanship.

SECURE stands for Security, Economic development, Connectivity, Unity, Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and Environmental protection,” he tweeted. “Most importantly and to implement PM’s vision of highlighting our millennia-old civilizational linkages under our chairmanship, we have highlighted the “Buddhist Heritage of SCO Member States. Apart from this, we also hosted the First-ever Conference of Buddhist Experts of SCO member States in New Delhi involving Member States, Observers and Dialogue Partners, as well as an exhibition on this theme at National Museum,” he added.

The foreign ministers of China and Pakistan are among those who will attend this SCO summit in person. The ministers will discuss a range of important geopolitical issues, such as economic cooperation among SCO members and regional security. The level of bilateral connections between member countries will have no bearing on the discussions during the SCO foreign ministers’ conclave, where the foreign ministers will examine the general issues the area is experiencing in light of the current geopolitical unrest.

One of the biggest transregional international groups, the SCO is a significant economic and security bloc. The SCO Foreign Ministers’ meeting which is slated for Friday is significant because it is taking place amid the backdrop of escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine, particularly in the aftermath of an alleged assassination attempt on Russian President Vladimir Putin, which Russia has blamed on Ukrainians. Prior to the Foreign Ministers’ meeting, SCO Defence Ministers’ meeting took place in New Delhi this April in which Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu took part and discussed the Russian defence industry’s participation in the ‘Make in India’ initiative and ways to provide further impetus to it with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh.

The two sides also discussed a variety of topics related to bilateral defence cooperation, including industrial cooperation and military-to-military ties. The ongoing engagement with SCO has helped India promote its relations with the countries in the region with which India has shared civilizational linkages, and is considered India’s extended neighbourhood. (With agency inputs) Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here.

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