ISLAMABAD, Nov 26 (APP): Foreign Minister of Pakistan Shah Mahmood Qureshi said all member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) still face multifaceted challenges of poverty, food security, and climate change, which could be addressed through an inclusive approach.
In his virtual address to the leaders at the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting held in Nur Sultan, Kazakhstan, the foreign minister said, “SCO’s emphasis on cooperation and conflict resolution offered hope to humanity.”
Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Askar Mamin, Secretary-General SCO Vladimir Norov and heads of government of SCO member states and observers joined the meeting, according to media reports.
Terming SCO a model of shared growth and prosperity, the foreign minister said it provided an attractive platform for inter-state cooperation in diverse fields, including economy, security, connectivity and sustainable development.
Foreign Minister of Pakistan said regional security is a must for the prosperity and economic growth of the region.
In this context, stability in Afghanistan was of critical importance for all owing to the geographic compulsions and enduring ties to the people of Afghanistan, he added.
In the last few months, he said, “Afghanistan had undergone a fundamental transformation as its people faced critical economic and humanitarian challenges.”
He urged the international community to engage constructively to mitigate the sufferings of Afghans.
The foreign minister said Pakistan continued to assist its Afghan brethren in their hour of need by inter-alia, contributing to Afghanistan’s socio-economic development through health, education, and training, enhancing transit trade facilities for goods from Afghanistan, and the abolition of tariff on Afghan goods.
”Pakistan would continue to work with Afghanistan, bilaterally and in collaboration with partners, to promote the values of inclusiveness, respect for the rights of all Afghans, and to ensure that Terrorists would never use Afghan soil against any country”, FM added in his virtual address to SCO.
In addition. Qureshi said the agenda of the SCO meeting focused on practical steps that would further the collective desire for significant progress in economic, trade, and humanitarian spheres.
Qureshi said Pakistan has focused on the empowerment of youth, for which the country will host a conference on ‘Youth Empowerment through Digital Economy’ in 2022, as announced by Prime Minister Imran Khan in Dushanbe.
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolute commitment to continue to advance SCO’s goals and objectives.
