ISLAMABAD: The 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states begins today (Tuesday).
The two-day summit, held under tight security, gathers regional leaders from SCO member nations. Many businesses and routes in the federal capital and its twin city, Rawalpindi, have been closed for security reasons.
Delegates from participating countries have already arrived in the capital, adorned with colorful lights, floral decorations, and banners displaying the flags of SCO nations to welcome the dignitaries.
The SCO CHG meeting, the second-highest forum within the organization, is being chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Pakistan took over the rotating chairmanship for 2023-24 during the previous meeting held in Bishkek in October 2023.
Leaders attending the summit include Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko, Kazakh 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 Zhaparov Akylbek, Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref, and Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
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