Bilawal, Lavrov vow to boost relations

GOA (APP): Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov here on the sidelines of the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Council of Foreign Ministers being held in Goa, India.
During the meeting, they discussed bilateral, regional and international matters of mutual interest. Foreign Minister Bilawal assured to work closely for further deepening cooperation in food security, energy and people-to-people contacts. He said that the SCO opened new vistas of cooperation and coordination with Russia.
After landing in India, Bilawal, while speaking to the media, said: “I am happy that I have reached here in Goa to attend the SCO meeting. I hope that the SCO CFM will be a success.” Bilawal is leading the country’s delegation at the SCO’s Council of Foreign Ministers meeting scheduled to be held from May 4-5 in Goa.
”Our participation in the meeting reflects Pakistan’s commitment to the SCO charter and processes and the importance that Pakistan accords to the region in its foreign policy priorities,” the FO spokesperson had said in a statement.
In addition to deliberating upon important regional and international issues and signing some of the institutional documents, the council 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 July 3-4, 2023.
The meeting will also witness the signing of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with five countries namely Bahrain, Kuwait Maldives, Myanmar and UAE to become Dialogue Partners of SCO. Besides Pakistan, SCO member states include China, Russia, 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, and environmental protection etc. 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.