Update on SCO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting Invitation: Pakistan and China Have Not Confirmed, Reports Parliament

India is currently holding the presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and the upcoming SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting is set to take place in Goa in May 2023. While the participation of most foreign ministers has been confirmed, the attendance of China and Pakistan’s foreign ministers is still uncertain. During the meeting, discussions will revolve around security, counterterrorism, and regional and global issues of mutual interest. India will also host the SCO Heads of State Summit in July 2023. If Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang confirms his attendance, it will be his second visit to India as Chinese foreign minister since his appointment earlier this year. On the other hand, Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Singh Bhutto is yet to confirm his attendance, and if he does, it will be the first time a foreign minister from Pakistan visits India since 2011. However, a delegation from Pakistan dropped out of a recent SCO meeting between military medical professionals after the Indian delegation objected to the use of maps showing Kashmir as Pakistani territory. Despite this incident, a Pakistani delegation still attended a workshop on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) and Risk Mitigation, as well as Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, on the same day.