GOA -UNS: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari met his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, on sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in the Indian city of Goa on Thursday, the Foreign Office (FO) said.
According to the FO, the two foreign ministers discussed bilateral, regional and international matters of mutual interest and assured each other of working closely to further deepen cooperation between their countries in the areas of food security, energy and people-to-people contact.
“The SCO opens new vistas of cooperation and coordination with Russia,” the FO statement said.
FM Bilawal reached Goa earlier today, primarily to attend the SCO’s Council of Foreign Ministers meeting.
In a video message on Twitter, Bilawal — the first foreign minister of Pakistan to head to India in over a decade — confirmed that he had reached Goa. “Salaam, from Goa India,” he said.
Bilawal said that he would first hold meetings with his counterparts from Russia and Uzbekistan, which will be followed by a formal dinner for all the foreign ministers at the SCO.
“I will give one or two interviews and that is the programme for today,” he added.
The SCO’s Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Goa is scheduled to be held today and tomorrow.
Indian news agency ANI shared photos of Bilawal and Chinese counterpart Qin Gang in Goa.
Speaking to the media upon his arrival, the foreign minister said he was “happy” to be arriving in Goa for the SCO. He said that he expected the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers to be “successful”.
