EAM Jaishankar meets UN chief and Belarusian, Tajikistan, Uzbek counterparts in Kazakhstan

Jaishankar is in Kazakhstan to represent India at the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and carry out various bilateral meetings on the sidelines.

Astana: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday met UN chief Antonio Guterres and discussed global hotspots and their larger implications apart from the reform of the UNSC.

Jaishankar, who is here to represent India at the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and carrying out various bilateral meetings on the sidelines, also met his Belarusian and Tajikistan counterparts Maksim Ryzhenkov and Sirojiddin Muhriddin respectively.

"Always a pleasure to meet UNSG @antonioguterres. Appreciate his insights on the state of the world. Discussed global hotspots and their larger implications", Jaishankar posted on the social media platform X.

He further said that he spoke about the reform of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), preparations for the upcoming "Summit of the Future" in September, and future prospects for meaningful India-UN partnership.

He also held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Tajikistan, Belarus, Uzbekistan and Russia.

During his meeting with Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov, Jaishankar said he appreciated the steady progress in India-Uzbekistan ties and discussed ways to take it forward to a higher level.

“Glad to meet Tajik FM Sirojiddin Muhriddin today in Astana. Took stock of our bilateral partnership and cooperation on multilateral forums. Appreciate the exchange of views on the regional situation", Jaishankar posted on social media platform X along with the photos of the meeting.

"Pleased to meet FM Maksim Ryzhenkov of Belarus today. Welcome Belarus to the SCO as its newest member. Discussed our bilateral relationship and its future growth potential", the Minister posted earlier on X.

The meeting of the two Foreign Ministers came days after the first-ever India-Belarus Consular Dialogue that was held on June 28 in Minsk.

"The Indian delegation was led by Dr Aman Puri, JS (CPV), while the Belarusian delegation was led by Andrei Kozhan, Head of General Directorate for Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus", a statement from the MEA said on Tuesday.

With nine member states - India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyz, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – the SCO has emerged as an influential economic and security bloc and one of the largest trans-regional international organisations.

Belarus will be the 10th nation to join as a member.

Kazakhstan is hosting the summit in its capacity as the current chair of the grouping.