BENAULIM: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) today (Friday) in Goa on the second day of his much-anticipated visit to India.
In a Twitter thread, the Foreign Office (FO) said Bilawal reiterated Pakistan’s strong commitment to the SCO. It quoted the minister as saying, “There couldn’t be a more powerful indication of the importance that Pakistan attaches to the SCO than my presence here in Goa for this CFM.”
Bilawal asserted the SCO could be a “key platform for taking the vision of Eurasian connectivity to the next level”, the FO said.
He also reiterated Pakistan’s belief and adherence to the “principles of mutual trust, equality, respect for cultural diversity, and the pursuit of shared development enshrined in the original ‘Shanghai Spirit’”.
Speaking on the occasion, the foreign minister once again raised the issue of climate change: “The climate crisis poses an existential threat to humanity.”
Citing Pakistan’s proposal to establish the Special Working Group on Poverty Alleviation, Bilawal advocated for closer cooperation for poverty alleviation under the SCO.
He further highlighted the SCO’s role as an intergovernmental organisation and said the platform had promoted “mutual understanding, security and development through constructive and mutually beneficial cooperation”.
Earlier today, the FO shared a group photo of the foreign ministers attending the SCO meeting today. The SCO comprises eight member states — Pakistan, India, China, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
The FO also shared a photo of Indian Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar welcoming Bilawal to today’s CFM meeting.
Read more: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari becomes first Pak FM to visit India in 12 years
