Beijing, Jul 14: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev in Beijing on Monday. The two leaders discussed the SCO's growing importance and ongoing efforts to modernise its functioning.

Jaishankar is on a three-day visit to China to attend the Foreign Ministers' Meeting of the SCO member states being held in Tianjin.

Following the meeting, the EAM shared on social media, "Glad to meet SCO SG Nurlan Yermekbayev in Beijing today. Discussed the contribution and importance of SCO, as well as the endeavours to modernise its working."

This diplomatic engagement comes ahead of the 25th Heads of State Council meeting of the SCO, scheduled to be held in Tianjin later this year. India had assumed the SCO Presidency in 2023, followed by Pakistan, which hosted the Leaders' Summit in 2024.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is a permanent intergovernmental organisation comprising India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, and Belarus.

The body aims to strengthen regional cooperation in political, economic, and security matters.

Jaishankar's visit also follows recent high-level Indian participation in SCO-related events, when Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval visited China in June for defence and security-focused SCO meetings.

Earlier in the day, the EAM met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in Beijing and emphasised that the continued normalisation of ties between India and China can yield "mutually beneficial" results.

He underlined the importance of open dialogue and the exchange of perspectives as essential between two major neighbours and economies.

In his opening remarks at the meeting, Jaishankar said, "Our bilateral relationship, as you have pointed out, has been steadily improving since the meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Xi Jinping in Kazan last October. I am confident that my discussions in this visit will maintain that positive trajectory."

Marking the 75th anniversary of India-China diplomatic ties, Jaishankar highlighted a key development -- the resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, which had been suspended for five years due to the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent border tensions.

"The resumption of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra is also widely appreciated in India. Continued normalisation of our ties can produce mutually beneficial outcomes," he noted.

Referring to the current international environment, Jaishankar added, "The international situation, as we meet today, is very complex. As neighbouring nations and major economies, an open exchange of views and perspectives between India and China is very important."

This is EAM Jaishankar's first visit to China since the deadly Galwan Valley clash in June 2020, which severely strained bilateral relations.

While he has interacted with his Chinese counterpart at multilateral forums since then, the visit marks a significant step in high-level diplomatic engagement amid lingering border concerns.

(IANS)

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