ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has arrived in Islamabad after concluding his visit to Kazakhstan to attend a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit aimed at discussing global political, security and economic challenges, Sharif’s office said late Thursday.
The SCO Plus meeting included not only SCO member states but also observer nations and other invited guests. The expanded format aimed to broaden dialogue and cooperation beyond core member countries, engaging a wider range of nations in discussions.
Sharif led the Pakistani delegation to the SCO Council of Heads of State (CHS) meeting in Astana, which discussed important regional and global developments and approved about 20 decisions in various areas of cooperation, according to the Pakistan PM’s office.
The CHS adopted statements on safety of drinking water and sanitation, effective waste management and principles of good neighborliness as well as approved plans for ongoing cooperation in economic and security fields. An agreement on environment protection was also signed by relevant SCO ministers.
“Prime Minister Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the ‘Shanghai Spirit’ that stands for mutual trust and respect for shared prosperity and development,” Sharif’s office said in a statement.
“Reiterating the purposes and principles of UN Charter, the Prime Minister underscored the central coordinating role of the United Nations and the need to resolve longstanding disputes through peaceful means in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions that uphold people’s right to self-determination.”
He highlighted Pakistan’s principled position on the situation in Gaza and emphasized the importance of a peaceful and prosperous Afghanistan. Sharif also underscored Pakistan’s strategic location as an “ideal trade and transit hub” for the entire SCO region.
Founded in 2001, the SCO is a major trans-regional organization spanning South and Central Asia, with China, Russia, Pakistan, India, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan as its permanent members. The SCO member states collectively represent nearly half of the world’s population and a quarter of global economic output.
The organization’s agenda of promoting peace and stability, and seeking enhanced linkages in infrastructure, economic, trade and cultural spheres, is aligned with Pakistan’s own vision of enhancing economic connectivity as well as peace and stability in the region.
Sharif also met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and President of Azerbaijan İlham Aliyev in Astana, according to the Pakistani foreign office. In the trilateral summit, relations among Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Pakistan as well as regional and global matters such as Gaza, Kashmir, Islamophobia were discussed.
“It was agreed that strengthening of trilateral cooperation among Türkiye – Azerbaijan – Pakistan would not only contribute to prosperity of the peoples of the three countries, but also serve to promote regional and global peace and stability,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement.
“The three countries expressed their support for prioritizing dialogue among relevant countries in conflict resolution, in line with principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
– Originally published in Arab News
