Beijing
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev in Beijing on Monday and discussed ways to strengthen and modernise the SCO.
Jaishankar is on a three-day visit to China to attend the Foreign Ministers' Meeting of SCO member states in Tianjin. After their meeting, he shared on social media, “Discussed the contribution and importance of SCO, as well as the endeavours to modernise its working.”
This discussion comes ahead of the SCO Heads of State Council meeting in Tianjin later this year. India held the SCO presidency in 2023, followed by Pakistan in 2024.
The SCO is an important regional group with members including India, China, Russia, Pakistan, and Central Asian nations. It focuses on political, economic, and security cooperation.
Earlier in the day, Jaishankar also met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng. He emphasized that normalising India-China relations would benefit both sides. He mentioned progress since Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping met last year in Kazan.
Marking 75 years of diplomatic ties, Jaishankar highlighted the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, which had been suspended for five years.
“This is widely appreciated in India,” he said. “Continued normalisation of our ties can produce mutually beneficial outcomes.”
He also noted that the global situation remains complex, making dialogue between India and China essential.
This is Jaishankar’s first visit to China since the deadly Galwan Valley clash in 2020, marking a key step in rebuilding high-level ties.