India's Goa Hosts SCO Foreign Ministers' Meet
11:17 04.05.2023 (Updated: 15:57 04.05.2023)
© Photo : MFA/ Russia
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is taking part in the meeting alongside his counterparts from India, China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday arrived in Panaji, Goa where the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states are holding a two-day meeting on May 4-5.
Russia’s top diplomat is expected to hold bilateral talks with his Indian, Pakistani and Chinese counterparts on the sidelines of the meeting.
It's worth noting that Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is also participating — he is the first Pakistani top diplomat to travel to India in more than a decade.
Issues on SCO Agenda
On Friday, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the SCO foreign ministers will make preparations for the meeting of the SCO Heads of State Council, scheduled to be held from July 3-4 in India's capital New Delhi. In this regard, the top diplomats will discuss the content of the upcoming event, consider drafts of relevant documents and decisions, and exchange views on the international and regional agenda.
The key topic of the ministerial meeting will be the issue of SCO expansion: the ministers will approve the draft decision of the SCO leaders' meeting on granting Iran the status of a member state and discuss the application of Belarus for a possible acceleration of its accession to the organisation.
On the sidelines of the meeting, the ministers are expected to sign memorandums granting the status of SCO dialogue partners to Bahrain, Kuwait, Myanmar, the Maldives, and the United Arab Emirates.
Special attention will be given to the coordination of foreign policies in order to strengthen the central coordinating role of the United Nations in ensuring reliable global security and sustainable economic development.
