Swaraj likely to raise Masood issue with China

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is likely  to raise the issue of China blocking India’s bid to ban Jaish-e-Mohhamed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar by the United Nations (UN) with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, whom she will be meeting on the sidelines of a trilateral in Moscow on April 18.

A day after Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said that the Chinese action at the UN was raised at “fairly high level”, MEA Spokesperson Vikas Swarup on Thursday said India was in constant touch with China on the matter and further action will depend on the outcome of “conversations” between the two countries.

Announcing Swaraj’s visit to Moscow to attend Russia- India-China (RIC) trilateral, Swarup said during her stay, she would hold bilateral meetings with senior Russian ministers and Yi to take stock of the issues of mutual interest.

Asked if Swaraj will raise the issue of Masood with Yi, the Swarup said, “all issues of mutual concerns and interests will be discussed”.