Goa: Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Thursday said he will be having “constructive discussions” in India during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers Meeting in Goa.
“On my way to Goa, India. Will be leading the Pakistan delegation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization CFM. My decision to attend this meeting illustrates Pakistan’s strong commitment to the charter of SCO,” he said before leaving for India.
He added: “During my visit, which is focused exclusively on the SCO, I look forward to constructive discussions with my counterparts from friendly countries.”
Zardari, who will be the first Foreign Minister to visit India after a gap of 12 years, said he intends to engage will SCO members bilaterally.
Meanwhile, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif said, "Pakistan's decision to attend the SCO Council of Foreign Minister's 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 & stability in the region. We are all for win-win understandings based on connectivity, trade and mutually advantageous cooperation."
ABP Live had first reported that India will decline the request for a bilateral meeting if Pakistan seeks it.
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While initially there were talks of a possible meeting between both sides, after the recent attack on an Army truck in the Poonch district of Jammu in which five soldiers of Rashtriya Rifles were killed, New Delhi has decided to turn down all such requests.
India has blamed Pakistan for the incident, which was allegedly carried out by Jaish-e-Mohammed affiliate People's Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF).
Jaishankar said last week: “It is very difficult for us to engage with a neighbour who practices cross-border terrorism against us. We've always said that they have to deliver on the commitment to not sponsor and carry out cross-border terrorism. We continue to hope that one day we would reach that stage.”
Jaishankar be bilaterally meeting his Chinese and Russian counterparts Qin Gang and Sergey Lavrov, respectively, on the eve of the Foreign Ministers Meeting.
India is the current president of SCO. It became a member of the organisation in 2017.