ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch described hosting the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Pakistan as a major foreign policy achievement.
In an interview, Baloch highlighted the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as a crucial initiative in strengthening regional connectivity.
She emphasized Pakistan’s strong desire to continue efforts in this area, using platforms like the SCO to foster collaboration with Central Asian states on trade, energy, and railway sectors, further boosting regional ties.
Baloch also mentioned ongoing discussions with Türkiye to link road infrastructure with railways, a move aimed at enhancing transportation networks.
The two-day 23rd meeting of the SCO’s Council of the Heads of Government (CHG) began in Islamabad on Tuesday. Delegates from member and invited states arrived in the capital amid tight security measures.
The summit, held at the Jinnah Convention Centre, is chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, as Pakistan holds the rotating chairmanship for 2023-24, which it assumed at the previous meeting in Bishkek on October 26, 2023.
Notable leaders attending the summit include China’s Premier Li Qiang, Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko, Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Tajik Prime Minister Kohir Rasulzoda, Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, Kyrgyzstan’s Chairman of Ministers’ Cabinet Akylbek Zhaparov, Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref, and India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
![Avatar photo](https://thetruthinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Javed-Mahmood-150x150.png)
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
![](https://thetruthinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Logo-Adjusted-Final.png)