India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Astana, Kazakhstan, on the sidelines of the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. During their meeting, Jaishankar expressed India’s strong concern over the situation of Indian nationals currently trapped in the Ukraine war zone and pressed for their safe and expeditious return. The minister highlighted the issue of Indians lured to Russia with promises of employment opportunities, only to find themselves forced to participate in the conflict.
Jaishankar also discussed the broader bilateral partnership between India and Russia with Lavrov, noting progress in various areas since their last meeting in December 2023. Additionally, he exchanged views on the global strategic landscape and assessed current international developments.
Earlier on Tuesday, Jaishankar met with Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister, Murat Nurtleu, discussing India’s expanding strategic partnership with Kazakhstan and its growing engagement with Central Asia across various platforms. Both ministers exchanged views on regional and global issues.
Jaishankar is representing India at the two-day SCO Summit, which began on Wednesday and is expected to focus on the regional security situation and ways to enhance connectivity and trade. The SCO, comprising India, China, Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, is a prominent economic and security bloc that has evolved into one of the largest transregional international organizations.
Ahead of the summit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that India’s priorities within the SCO are guided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a ‘SECURE’ SCO, encompassing Security, Economic cooperation, Connectivity, Unity, Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and Environmental protection. The MEA also indicated that the summit will review the organization’s activities over the past two decades, discuss the state and prospects of multilateral cooperation, and address topical issues of regional and international importance.
The situation in Afghanistan, the Ukraine conflict, and boosting overall security cooperation among SCO member countries are likely to be prominent topics of discussion at the summit. Typically, the Indian Prime Minister participates in the SCO summit, but this year, PM Modi is not attending due to the ongoing Parliament session.
