SCO Foreign Ministers' two-day meet begins in Goa

Panaji: The two-day meeting of Foreign Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) members began here on Thursday, with India's External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar holding meetings with his counterparts.

Jaishankar also met SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming and appreciated his support for India's SCO Presidency and added that it is driven by a commitment to secure the SCO.

He laid down the key focus areas including startups, traditional medicine, youth empowerment, Buddhist heritage and science & technology.

Jaishankar also held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and said that comprehensive review of bilateral, global and multilateral cooperation was discussed during the meeting.

He also appreciated Russia's support for India's SCO presidency and also discussed issues pertaining to G20 and BRICS.

After the meeting with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang, Jaishankar said that a detailed discussion with the State Councillor on the bilateral relationship was held.

"Focus remains on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas. Also discussed SCO, G20 and BRICS," he tweeted.

He also welcomed his Uzbekistan counterpart Bakhtiyor Saidov on his first visit to India.

"Appreciated Uzbekistan's strong support for India's SCO presidency. Also recognized our long standing multilateral cooperation. I am confident that our bilateral partnership in different domains will continue to grow," Jaishankar said.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has also arrived in Goa for the meeting.

Established in June 15, 2001 in Shanghai, the SCO originally comprised Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became members subsequently.