ISLAMABAD, July 30 (Alliance News): The Pakistani and Indian foreign ministers attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) foreign ministers’ meeting and other events together but avoided interacting with each other.
According to details, after the change of government in Pakistan in April, the meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organization is the first multilateral event where Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar came together after becoming foreign minister.
At one point, the two foreign ministers were waiting for a joint meeting with the President of Uzbekistan, Shaukat Mirziyoyev.
Relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors have long been bitter, with Pakistan cutting diplomatic ties with India after the BJP government revoked the autonomous status of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir in 2019. reduced
The events that happened in Kashmir after the termination of the independent status and the actions of Hindu supremacy against Muslims in India have so far hindered the restoration of relations between the two countries. But it is India’s responsibility to provide an enabling environment to do so.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari while addressing a government think tank in Islamabad last month emphasized the need to restore relations with India.
He argued at the time that despite a long history of war and conflict and the Indian government’s actions in Occupied Kashmir and its anti-Muslim agenda, it was not in Pakistan’s interest to avoid relations with India.
But soon after that, the Foreign Office issued a clarification that there has been no change in Pakistan’s policy towards India, which has a national consensus.
However, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and S.J. Shankar, following the rules and charter of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, did not mention the bilateral disputes and did not accuse each other.
The Charter of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization contains a clause that prevents member countries from bringing up bilateral disputes in the organization’s meetings.
In his speech at the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers, the Pakistani Foreign Minister highlighted Pakistan’s perspective on important regional and international issues of concern to the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
He emphasized that shared prosperity is essential for the peace, stability and development of the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and at the global level.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the development and prosperity of the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization depend on important areas such as e-commerce, digitization of business, innovation and protection of international supply chains.
He said that Pakistan is working rapidly with Uzbekistan and Afghanistan on the Trans-Afghan rail project, which can provide Central Asian countries with an important access to Pakistan’s ports and a transport system between the countries involved in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. will become an important component of
The Foreign Minister said that the China Pakistan Economic Corridor is already serving as a key platform to help promote regional connectivity and prosperity.
The foreign minister also spoke about the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan and made the member states aware of their responsibility to help the war-torn country.
Meanwhile, Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar spoke about the challenges facing the region and the expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
According to the Foreign Office, the foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) discussed the key issues facing the organization 20 years after its establishment, including the expansion of its membership, the improvement of the mechanism of the SCO Secretariat and global economic and political developments and members. Challenges for countries included;
The foreign ministers signed 16 decisions endorsing proposals on various areas of socio-economic cooperation and adopted a common position on strengthening the Biological Weapons Convention.
In the conference, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto also met the foreign ministers of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
The Foreign Office said that in these bilateral meetings, the Foreign Minister discussed issues of common interest as well as issues related to bilateral cooperation and further strengthening of political, economic and trade relations with these countries.