Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to take part in SCO Foreign Ministers' Meeting
Apr 27, 2023
New Delhi [India], April 27 : Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will take part in the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states in India on May 4-5.
The heads of foreign policy departments plan to give priority attention to the substantive content of the upcoming meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State, which is scheduled for July 3-4 in New Delhi, according to an official release.
They will also discuss drafts of the relevant documents and decisions.
There will also be an exchange of views on topical issues of the international and regional agenda.
In addition, the Russian Foreign Minister will have a number of bilateral meetings.
Meanwhile, Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu arrived in New Delhi on Thursday to take part in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers' meeting scheduled to be held on Friday in the national capital.
Li Shangfu will also take part in the bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh.
This is the first visit by the Chinese Defence Minister following the border transgression in Galwan.
On Pakistan's participation in the SCO Foreign Ministers' meeting which is set to take place in India, the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said that it will not be appropriate to focus on a particular member.
The official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Arindam Bagchi, said New Delhi has been inviting all the SCO member-states for events under India's presidency that are underway.
As the current Chair, India will host the next Summit of the Council of Heads of State this year. The SCO Foreign Ministers' meeting is scheduled to take place in Goa on May 4-5.
Bagchi, in a statement, underlined further that India had extended similar invitations to all SCO member-states, and looked forward to a successful meeting.
