EAM Jaishankar discusses Afghan crisis with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov

Union Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit on Friday. He was also there to attend the SCO Summit. The two spoke on several topics majorly focusing on the Afghanistan situation. Meanwhile, EAM Jaishankar represented Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Summit who further addressed the session via video conferencing.

Taking to Twitter, he shared an image from the meeting and expressed his delight after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov. He wrote, "A useful discussion on contemporary issues, including Afghanistan, before the commencement of the SCO Summit."

EAM Jaishankar also met several other key leaders from different countries including Iran, Uzbekistan, Armenia, China, and others. 

The External Affairs Minister is currently in the Tajikistan capital for the SCO Summit scheduled to be held on 17 September, Friday. Earlier, he also met Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the SCO summit. The meeting saw several discussions including the disengagement in the border areas looking forward to the restoration of peace and tranquillity. Also, discussions on global development were held. 

SCO Summit 2021

The SCO is an eight-member economic and security bloc and has emerged as one the largest transregional international organisation. It is worth mentioning that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now scheduled to virtually participate in the SCO Summit on 17 September. Jaishankar, on the other hand, will be attending the meeting on Afghanistan with the heads of SCO and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation. 

As per India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the summit will have discussions on past productivity and future aspects. 

Image: PTI/Twitter/@SJaishankar