SCO conclave: Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to arrive in Goa tomorrow

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will arrive in India on Thursday to attend the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) conclave in Goa. India will host foreign ministers from China, Russia and other member countries in a meeting chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

The two-day meeting of foreign ministers will see talks on tensions between Russia and the United States over the conflict in Ukraine, China's expansionist behavior focusing on concerns over a bilateral meeting between Jaishankar and Bhutto on the sidelines of the SCO meeting.

Other major issues to be discussed at the SCO meeting include the growing terrorism under the Taliban rule in Afghanistan and the regional security situation.

The foreign affairs minister is also expected to hold bilateral talks with his counterparts from China, Russia and several other member countries.

On Wednesday, Jaishankar in Goa for the meeting of SCO foreign ministers to be held on May 4 and 5. Meanwhile, Pakistan ruled out any possibility of bilateral talks with India, saying that Bhutto's visit to India should only be seen as Islamabad's commitment to the SCO charter.

The conclave will focus on expanding cooperation in the areas of trade, investment and connectivity with member countries discussing the growing geopolitical tensions facing the region.

The SCO was founded at the Shanghai Summit in 2001 by the presidents of China, Russia, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, with India and Pakistan becoming permanent members in 2017.