Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warmly welcomed Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and other international leaders at a dinner marking the first day of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on Tuesday. The event set a positive tone for the summit discussions, emphasizing the importance of regional cooperation and diplomacy. Leaders engaged in brief conversations and exchanged handshakes, underscoring the role of the SCO in fostering collaboration among its members.
The 23rd SCO summit will officially commence on Tuesday in Islamabad, where leaders and senior officials from the region have gathered. Islamabad is specially decorated to host this high-profile event. The summit will focus on regional economic cooperation, with key attendees including the Prime Minister of China, the Indian Foreign Minister, Iran’s First Vice President, and the Prime Ministers of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. High-ranking delegations from Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan, along with the SCO Secretary-General and the Chairman of the SCO Business Council, will also participate.
The agenda includes discussions on ongoing cooperation in areas such as the economy, trade, the environment, and socio-cultural relations. A comprehensive review of the SCO’s achievements and future plans will be conducted, with member states expected to make key decisions on enhancing mutual cooperation and approving the organization’s budget.
According to Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the SCO summit will prioritize economic issues, trade, and connectivity. She emphasized the presence of heads of state as a reflection of confidence in Pakistan’s hosting capabilities, with the summit expected to result in significant agreements and strengthened regional relations.
