“We do not have final decisions,” Pakistan on joining SCO meeting in India

Pakistan stated on Thursday that it has not yet decided whether to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting in Goa, which will begin in May 2023.

“Now, regarding the in-person participation that you have asked about, at this stage we do not have final decisions. When these decisions are taken we will share them with you. It is a bit early for me to speculate on these meetings,” said Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson. India has invited Pakistan’s foreign minister to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting scheduled to take place on May 4-5, 2023 in Goa.

SCO is an important transregional organization that aims to strengthen economic linkages and cooperation among its Member States in different fields. Every year, SCO develops a calendar of activities, which include the Meeting of the Foreign Ministers,” added the spokesperson.

India has formally invited all SCO members, including Pakistan and China, to the upcoming foreign ministers’ meeting, which will be held in Goa on May 4-5. The invitation also includes invitations to China’s new Foreign Minister Qin Gang and Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto.

India assumed the presidency of the nine-member megagrouping in September of last year, and will host important ministerial meetings and the summit this year.

For many years, relations between the two countries have been strained due to issues of cross-border terrorism from Pakistan, even as Islamabad has sought the restoration of Article 370 for the former Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir in order to hold discussions.

Furthermore, Pakistan has been publicising the Kashmir problem at all international venues with no response. At the United Nations Human Rights Council, India recently chastised Pakistan on the topic of religious freedom for minorities (UNHRC).