India will be hosting the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to be organised on May 4 to May 5, 2023, in Goa. The Foreign Ministry of Pakistan confirms that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will be participating in the Summit. After a gap of 12 years, a Pakistan political leader will come to India.
Last time in 2011, the former Foreign Minister of Pakistan Hina Rabbani Khar visited the country. Official invitations have been sent to all member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Besides Pakistan, China has also been urged to mark its presence at the upcoming event.
FM @BBhuttoZardari will lead 🇵🇰delegation to SCO-CFM meeting being held on 4-5 May 2023 in Goa,India. FM’s participation in Meeting reflects 🇵🇰’s continued commitment to SCO Charter & processes & the importance that Pakistan accords to the region in its foreign policy priorities.
— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) April 20, 2023
How many Member States are included in SCO?
There are a total of 8 nations that form the SCO Group which was set up in the year 1996. Following are the member states that are part of the world’s biggest organization to enhance cooperation among all sectors of society
- China
- India
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Russia
- Pakistan
- Tajikistan
- Uzbekistan
While 4 Observer States seek full membership including Iran, Afghanistan, Belarus and Mongolia. Moreover, 6 nations are a part of this cooperation in the ‘Dialogue Partner’ role. These are Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Nepal.
Pakistan’s Bond with SCO
A Spokesperson from Pakistan’s Foreign Office, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch informed in a tweet that Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will be attending the SCO-CFM Meeting. India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar sent invitations formally.
Pakistan’s officials asserted that Pakistan is consistently dedicated to the SCO authority and cooperation process. The country is involved in its foreign policy priorities and looking forward to the meeting. Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang along with his Russian fellow Sergey Lavrov are also expected to take part in the meeting.
India’s Chairmanship
India assumed the Chairmanship of the mega alliance in September 2022. Additionally, the nation will be administering major ministerial meetings as well as the summit event in 2023. Iran is the latest nation to be added to the group under the Indian Presidency.
The previous Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting was conducted in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. PM Narendra Modi was present during the last conference. This year's SCO foreign ministers meeting will be happening in the times of the rising Russia-Ukraine war along with India's G20 Presidency.
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