Panaji

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar greeted Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari with a "Namastey" on Friday in Goa at a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

Zardari is here to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) and incidentally, the first Pakistani foreign minister to visit India in almost 12 years.

#WATCH | EAM Dr S Jaishankar welcomes Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for the Meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers in Goa pic.twitter.com/TVe0gzml1U

— ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2023

The two-day-long meeting of SCO member states began here on Thursday.

Visuals showed the Jaishankar greeting Zardari in Indian tradition with a "Namastey", avoiding a handshake.

On his arrival in the coastal State yesterday Zardari had said he looks forward to constructive discussions with his counterparts from friendly countries.

The Pakistan minister was received at the airport by Indian diplomat JP Singh (Joint Secretary, Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran desk).

He is attending the SCO conclave at the invitation of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

"I am happy to arrive in Goa for participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. I am leading the Pakistan delegation at SCO and hope that the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) will be successful," Zardari said in a video on Thursday shared by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson.

Jaishankar also welcomed SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang to the Meeting.

On Thursday, Jaishankar held a meeting with Chinese counterpart Qin Gang. The discussions focussed on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring "peace and tranquillity" in the border areas.

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Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organisation established in 2001. The SCO has India, Russia, China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as its members. India took over the rotating presidency of the SCO at the summit held in Samarkand in 2022.