Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari spoke at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) in Goa on Friday, urging member nations to avoid using terrorism for diplomatic advantage and emphasizing the significance of collective security. Bilawal highlighted the potential of the SCO as a critical platform for advancing Eurasian connectivity and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the core principles of the ‘Shanghai Spirit,’ which include mutual trust, equality, respect for cultural diversity, and the pursuit of shared development.
Bilawal also called for increased cooperation within the SCO for poverty reduction, emphasizing the organization’s role in fostering mutual understanding, security, and development through constructive and mutually beneficial collaboration.
Indian Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar also addressed the SCO meeting, focusing on the issue of cross-border terrorism and urging that channels supporting terrorist activities be “seized and blocked without distinction.”
