External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held a series of meetings with foreign ministers from Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member countries on the sidelines of the 26th SCO Summit in Bishkek on Tuesday. The discussions focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation and exchanging views on regional and global developments.

Jaishankar met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during the summit. The meeting came weeks after the two leaders held extensive discussions in Manila in July on India-China bilateral relations, border stability and key regional and international developments. The latest engagement provided an opportunity for the two sides to continue their diplomatic exchanges on issues of mutual interest.

The External Affairs Minister also met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the summit. Jaishankar described the interactions as a quick catch-up with both counterparts. He had held a wider discussion with Lavrov the previous week covering bilateral cooperation, regional hotspots, global challenges and multilateral issues.

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Jaishankar also met Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov in Bishkek. The two ministers had undertaken a detailed review of their countries’ strategic partnership during Saidov’s three-day visit to New Delhi last month. Their discussions had covered energy, infrastructure, trade, defence, education and culture, along with regional challenges and opportunities for expanding multilateral cooperation.

The Indian minister further held talks with Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin. Jaishankar described the interaction as a good discussion on the sidelines of the SCO Summit, without providing further details of the issues discussed. The meeting added to a series of bilateral engagements with Central Asian partners during the summit. The meetings underline India’s diplomatic engagement with key SCO members as leaders gather in Bishkek for the summit. Jaishankar’s interactions with counterparts from China, Russia, Iran, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan provided opportunities to discuss bilateral ties as well as wider regional and multilateral matters.

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