New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar greeted Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari with a "Namastey" at a Shangai Cooperation Organisation conference in Goa on Friday. Zardari is in India for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM). He is also the first Pakistani foreign minister to visit India in nearly a decade. On Thursday, the two-day conference of SCO member states began here. The video shows Jaishankar welcoming Zardari in Indian tradition with a "Namastey," rather than a handshake.


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Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari arrived in Goa on Thursday to attend a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conference, the country's first such high-level visit to India since 2011.


Earlier, Bhutto informed about his visit to India on Twitter. In a tweet, he said, "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 the SCO." "During my visit, which is focused exclusively on the SCO, I look forward to constructive discussions with my counterparts from friendly countries," he said. 


S Jaishankar holds a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang


Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who is currently in Goa attending the SCO Foreign Ministers' meeting, said on Thursday that India and China should explore a road to peaceful and friendly coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation. Qin, who held a bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers' meeting in Goa, also met relatives of Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis, the Indian doctor who served in China during the Chinese Communist revolution headed by Mao Zedong and the World War II.


Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov folded his hands and greeted his Indian counterpart, Jaishankar when he arrived for the SCO summit. Yesterday, Jaishankar and Lavrov conducted bilateral talks. The External Affairs Minister also received Foreign Ministers from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan in Goa. Prior to the main meeting on Friday, India hosted a cultural event on Thursday evening.' Secure-SCO' is the topic for India's presidency of the SCO in 2023. The Shanghai Cooperation Entity (SCO) is a 2001 intergovernmental entity. India, Russia, China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are members of the SCO. At the SCO summit in Samarkand in 2022, India assumed the rotating presidency.