What are FM Bilawal's engagements at SCO summit today?

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is in Goa, India to represent Pakistan at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) summit. He is in the country on a two-day visit — May 4-5.

In a video message that he posted on Twitter, the foreign minister said he is scheduled to meet his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. Then, he will meet Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov.

Following the meetings, Bilawal is set to attend a dinner in which foreign ministers from all the nations will be present. After that, he is set to engage with media personnel for interviews.

FM Bilawal has visited the neighbouring state at the invitation of Minister for External Affairs of the Republic of India — the current chair of the SCO.

In addition to deliberating upon important regional and international issues and signing some of the institutional documents, the CFM will finalise the agenda and decisions to be adopted by the 17th SCO Council of Heads of State Meeting scheduled to take place in New Delhi on 3-4 July 2023.

The CFM will witness the signing of memorendum of understandings (MOUs) with five countries namely Bahrain, Kuwait Maldives, Myanmar and UAE to become Dialogue Partners of SCO.

Despite having strained ties with India, Pakistan decided to send its foreign minister to attend the summit in the neighbouring nation to show its commitment to the SCO.

Besides Pakistan, SCO member States include China, Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and India.

SCO’s major objectives include promoting mutual confidence and good-neighbourly relations among member states, strengthening regional peace, security and stability, and creating a framework for effective cooperation in the fields of politics, trade and economy, culture, science and technology, education, energy, transportation, tourism, environmental protection.

Since becoming a member in 2017, Pakistan has been actively and constructively contributing to all SCO activities to realise its multi-sectoral aims and objectives in a mutually beneficial manner.