- Saturday, March 01, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
Pakistani foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday (4) confirmed in a video message on Twitter his arrival in the Indian state of Goa to take part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers that kicked off the same day.
Bhutto-Zardari is the first senior Pakistani politician to reach India since former prime minister Nawaz Sharif visited New Delhi in May 2014 to take part in the first oath-taking ceremony of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi.
Salaam, from Goa India. #PakatSCO pic.twitter.com/ZwBqqASHS7
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) May 4, 2023
In the video, Bhutto-Zardari, 34, said he would first hold meetings with his counterparts from Russia and Uzbekistan, which are also members of the SCO, followed by a formal dinner for all the diplomats.
“I will give one or two interviews and that is the programme for today,” he added.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang in Goa for Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's (SCO) foreign ministers' meeting. pic.twitter.com/TE7SA86r3t
— ANI (@ANI) May 4, 2023
Speaking to the media upon his arrival in India, the Pakistani minister said he was “happy” to be arriving in Goa for the SCO. He said he expected the foreign ministers’ meeting to be “successful”.
Ahead of his departure for the venue in India, Bhutto-Zardari said he was looking forward to “engaging bilaterally” with countries that were part of the nine-member grouping.
He is here in Goa and speaks with clarity of purpose.
@BBhuttoZardari pic.twitter.com/vdKR8HK1oa— Murtaza Solangi (@murtazasolangi) May 4, 2023
“On my way to Goa, India. Will be leading the Pakistan delegation at the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers. My decision to attend this meeting illustrates Pakistan’s strong commitment to the charter of SCO,” he said on Twitter.
“During my visit, which is focused exclusively on the SCO, I look forward to constructive discussions with my counterparts from friendly countries,” he added.
Meanwhile, Pakistani prime minister Shehbaz Sharif said that his country’s decision to attend the SCO meet reflected Islamabad’s commitment to the organisation’s charter and multilateralism.
The last time a Pakistani foreign minister set his foot on Indian soil was in 2011 when Hina Rabbani Khar went there for peace talks.
Bhutto-Zardari’s visit to India comes at a time when the relationship between the two nuclear-armed neighbours has taken a nosedive over a number of factors.
Both sides have refused to attach too much significance to the diplomat’s visit to India and reports have said that there would be no bilateral talks between Bhutto-Zardari and his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar who invited him.
Bhutto-Zardari also clarified that he had not requested a meeting with Modi during the visit, Pakistan’s Dawn reported.
