India to hold talks with China, Russia
Panaji: Union Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar arrived in Goa on Wednesday to participate in the two-day meeting of the foreign ministers of Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO), which begins on Thursday in the state.
The foreign ministers of eight nations are also scheduled to fly down to Goa for the key meeting.
India, which took over the chairmanship of the SCO group in September last year, is the host country.
The SCO group comprises Russia, India, China, Pakistan, and four central Asian countries namely Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Jaishankar will be holding bilateral talks on Thursday with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The spotlight is also expected to be on whether there will be a bilateral meeting between Jaishankar and Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on the sidelines of the SCO conclave.
The participation of Gang and Lavrov at the meet is expected to lay the groundwork for the visits of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin to India in early July later this year.
PTI ADDS FROM NEW DELHI: The meeting comes amid the escalating confrontation between Russia and the West over the war in Ukraine and concerns over China’s expansionist behaviour.
The overall situation in Afghanistan including apprehensions that the country may turn into a breeding ground for terrorism under the Taliban rule as well as the fast evolving regional security situation are expected to figure prominently during the deliberations.
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. The other members of the Quad are the U.S., Japan and Australia.
Both Russia and China have been severely critical of the Quad.
People familiar with the preparation of the conclave said ways to expand overall cooperation, including in areas of trade, investment and connectivity, will figure prominently in the discussions.
It is expected that challenges of terrorism as well as dealing with implications of the war in Ukraine will also be discussed.
People familiar with the preparation of the conclave said the foreign ministers will deliberate on overall challenges facing the region in the backdrop of the current geopolitical turmoil and the state of bilateral ties between the member nations would not impact the discussions.
On the sideline of the conclave, the External Affairs Minister is expected to hold separate bilateral talks with his counterparts from Russia, China and a few other member nations, people familiar with the matter said.
If Bhutto-Zardari travels to India, then it will be the first such visit from Islamabad since 2011. The then Pakistan foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar had visited India that year.
While the visiting dignitaries will be welcomed at a gala reception on May 4, the crucial deliberations on various key challenges facing the member nations of the grouping will be held on May 5, people familiar with the matter said.
India 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 and attended the meeting.
Special Assistant to Pakistan Prime Minister on defence affairs Malik Ahmed Khan joined the deliberations virtually.