BISHKEK: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj with Kyrgyzstan Foreign Minister Chingiz Aidarbekov Sushma Swaraj held a "productive discussion" with her Kyrgyz counterpart Chingiz Aidarbekov ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting during which several pressing issues including the threat of terrorism are expected to be discussed.
In her first engagement in Bishkek, Swaraj had a "productive discussion with Aidarbekov on all aspects of bilateral relations, including in political and defence, trade and investment, health, capacity building and people-to-people ties," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.
Swaraj, who arrived here in the Kyrgyz capital on Tuesday to attend a two-day meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers, was given a traditional welcome on her arrival here. The External Affairs Ministry in New Delhi said Monday that the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) will exchange views on topical issues of international and regional importance, besides reviewing the preparation for the SCO Summit in Bishkek from June 13-14.
India became a full member of the China-dominated grouping in 2017 and New Delhi's entry has increased the bloc's heft in regional geo-politics, besides giving it a pan-Asian hue. India is also keen on deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.
Swaraj's programme in Bishkek will include a joint call of SCO Foreign Ministers on Kyrgyz President Sooranbay Jeenbekov. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will also attend the meeting.
Last month, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attended the SCO Defence Ministers' conclave in Bishkek. India was an observer at the SCO since 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region.
Along with India, Pakistan was also granted the SCO membership in 2017. The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.