SCO foreign ministers meeting in Goa: Who will S Jaishankar meet? What will be discussed at the conclave?
SCO foreign ministers meeting in Goa: Who will S Jaishankar meet? What will be discussed at the conclave?
India has a key role to play in geopolitics this year. It holds the G20 presidency and the rotational chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). It is now hosting foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states. The two-day-long SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) will be held in Goa starting Thursday.
Who will be attending the meeting?
The SCO, an intergovernmental organisation founded on 15 June 2001 in China’s Shanghai, was established to maintain stability across the Eurasian region, join forces to counteract emerging challenges and threats and enhance trade and cultural and humanitarian cooperation. It comprises eight “member states” – India, China, Pakistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – and four “observer states” –Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran, and Mongolia.
The foreign ministers of the member states will be attending the summit in Goa.
India’s foreign minister S Jaishankar will be playing host. The theme of India’s chairmanship of SCO this year is “Secure SCO”.
China’s Qin Gang and Russia’s Sergey Lavrov will be present. The Russian leader arrived in Goa this morning along with a delegation.
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All eyes will be on Pakistan’s Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is expected to reach on Thursday evening. He will be the first Pakistan foreign minister to visit India in over six years. The last visit was in December 2016 when his predecessor, who served during the Nawaz Sharif-led government was in Punjab’s Amritsar for the Heart of Asia summit.
Kazakhstan’s Murat Nurtleu, Kyrgyzstan’s Jeenbek Kulubaev, Tajikistan’s Sirojiddin Muhriddin and Uzbekistan’s Bakhtiyor Saidov will attend the summit.
#WATCH | Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) foreign ministers’ meeting to take place today in Goa. pic.twitter.com/yCXGIp2OGa
— ANI (@ANI) May 4, 2023
What’s the schedule for Thursday?
Jaishankar reached Goa on Wednesday to take stock of the arrangements at the venue of the conference. It will be held at Taj Exotica, a luxury hotel in south Goa.
On Thursday, he met SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming. He had a great start to the SCO CFM with a productive meeting with the SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming, said Jaishakar. He added that India’s SCO Presidency aims to promote startups, traditional medicine, youth empowerment, the Buddhist heritage, science and technology and commits to the idea of a SECURE SCO. He said that he is expecting a successful SCO CFM in Goa.
Started my meetings at SCO CFM with a productive interaction with Secretary General Zhang Ming. Appreciate his support for India’s SCO Presidency.
Indian presidency is driven by a commitment to SECURE SCO. Its key focus areas are startups, traditional medicine, youth… pic.twitter.com/70YyqidQcj
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) May 4, 2023
On Thursday evening, the Indian foreign minister will host a dinner for all the visiting members.
Will there be bilateral meetings?
A meeting of a few delegates on the sidelines of the summit is likely.
Jaishakar is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with his Russian counterpart Lavrov. India has maintained a neutral stance in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and the meeting of the two ministers assumes more importance as the Kremlin accused Ukraine of an assassination attempt on President Vladimir Putin. However, it remains unclear if this will be discussed at the meeting or not.
Jaishankar is also expected to meet the Chinese foreign minister ahead of the official dinner on Thursday. The two last met in New Delhi on the sidelines of the G-20 foreign ministers meeting. Qin will be travelling to Islamabad after completing the SCO meeting on Friday.
Tensions between India and China continue to rise over border issues and Beijing’s expansionist behaviour. The bonhomie between the two neighbours – China and Pakistan – makes New Delhi uncomfortable.
What’s on the agenda for Friday?
The crucial deliberations between foreign ministers will be held on Friday. Amid the Ukraine war and the regional instability caused by China, New Delhi wants to focus on the SCO grouping.
One of the other key discussions during the meeting will be the situation in Afghanistan. There is growing concern that the country is turning into a breeding ground for terrorism under Taliban rule putting regional security at risk.
MEA secretary ER Dammu Ravi said that the focus of the meeting will be on the approval status of decisions to be made at the summit in July. Additionally, discussions will revolve around the state of multilateral cooperation and the progress of Iran and Belarus’ admission as full members of the organisation, reports ANI. There will be an emphasis on promoting English as a language other than Russian and Chinese. India will take charge of two working groups – Innovation and Startups and Traditional Medicine, Ravi said.
The Pakistan foreign minister will reportedly focus on climate change and bring up problems plaguing the nation because of last year’s devastating floods. Zardari will urge member states to strengthen ties with the country, according to a CNN-News18 report.
In a tweet, Zardari emphasised that his attendance demonstrates “Pakistan’s dedication to the SCO’s charter”. He added that he plans to hold productive talks with his counterparts from other friendly nations during his trip, which is solely focused on the SCO.
On my way to Goa, India. Will be leading the Pakistan delegation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization CFM. My decision to attend this meeting illustrates Pakistan’s strong commitment to the charter of SCO.
During my visit, which is focused exclusively on the SCO, I look… pic.twitter.com/cChUWj9okR
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) May 4, 2023
At the summit, there will focus on expanding cooperation among SCO member states on trade, investment and connectivity. The implications of the Russia-Ukraine conflict will also be discussed.
Will Jaishankar and Zaradari hold bilateral talks?
While there is increased interest in Zaradari’s presence at the conclave, the expectations from the visit are low. There is no plan yet for a bilateral between the Indian and Pakistan ministers, according to media reports.
It's best to look at the Pakistani foreign minister's visit through a “multilateral lens, not a bilateral one,” Michael Kugelman of The Wilson Centre, an American think-tank, told the BBC. “He’s not going to pursue reconciliation with Delhi. He’s going to participate in a conference of regional organisation that holds considerable importance for Pakistan's interests.”
Why India’s role in SCO matters
India is emerging as a key player among the SCO countries though China and Russia are seen as the major drivers of the grouping that is increasingly seen as an “alternative” to NATO.
In a way, New Delhi has been uniquely placed in the SCO as it is also a member of the four-nation coalition Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue). The other members of the Quad are the United States, Japan and Australia. Both Russia and China have been severely critical of the Quad.
India took over as chair of the SCO in September last year. It hosted the SCO defence ministerial meeting last week. The defence ministers of all the member nations of the grouping except Pakistan travelled to New Delhi. Special Assistant to Pakistan prime minister on defence affairs Malik Ahmed Khan joined the deliberations virtually.
India has shown a keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.
With inputs from agencies
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