At SCO, Jaishankar pushes for Chabahar port

India welcomes the expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to include Iran next year, when the Minister of Foreign Affairs S. Jaishankar shared a table with China Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Pakistan Bilawal Bhutto, Russia Sergey Lavrov and Central Asian countries in the Minister at the Minister at the Minister The meeting at Tashkent on Friday. While India pushed the Chabahar port to become a trade channel to Central Asia, the Pakistani Foreign Minister promoted the China-Pakistan economic corridor for trans-regional trade, including in a meeting with the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs appointed by the Taliban Amir Khan Muttaqi.

Mr. Jaisankar held bilateral talks with his colleagues from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, but there were no meetings with Bhutto, Mr. Wang or Mr. Muttaqi, who is also in Tashkent to reach a special SCO, was announced. Although the release of MEA did not mention it, the Russian Embassy in Delhi Tweeted that Mr. Jaisankar also held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Mr. Lavrov while in Tashkent, where they said they discussed bilateral relations and regional and international problems.

Mr. Jaishankar highlighted India’s assistance to Afghanistan at the meeting.

Help to Afghanistan

“Repeating India’s position in Afghanistan and highlighted our humanitarian support: wheat, medicines, vaccines, and clothing,” Jaishankar said after the meeting, added that he had underlined the potential of Iran’s Chabahar for “SCO’s Future”.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs said he had also raised the problem of the energy crisis and the food crisis arising from “Ukraine conflict”, did not mention the role of Russia in the conflict, as well as from Pandemi Covid, which, he said must be “aimed at very very”.

“The necessary responses include a resilient and diverse supply chain and multilateralism that is reformed,” Jaishankar said, adding that “zero tolerance” for terrorism is a must.

The Minister of External Affairs also asked Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev along with other ministers, where he sat next to Mr. Bhutto on a round table.

He said India, who would take over the presidency of SCO next year, would “provide full support for the success of the Samarkand Summit”, which shows Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the Summit on 15-16 September. If all SCO leaders attend the Summit directly, this will be the first time Mr. Modi faces face face with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as well as Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. India will also host all SCO leaders next year.

Meet Secretary General SCO, Senior Chinese Diplomat Zhang Ming, Mr. Jaisankar said that the Indian presidency next year would provide cooperation between the “new encouragement” SCO.