Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held informal meetings with several world leaders on Tuesday during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek.
The interactions took place on the sidelines of the 26th SCO Council of Heads of State Summit. Leaders discussed a range of bilateral, regional and international issues during the informal exchanges.
The meetings were held in a friendly and cordial atmosphere, with the prime minister playing an active role in the interactions.
PM Meets Leaders From Key Countries
Among the leaders who met informally with Shehbaz Sharif were Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The prime minister also interacted with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Other leaders included Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The interactions provided an opportunity for leaders to exchange views on matters of mutual interest outside the formal summit proceedings.
Earlier, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Nurgozhoevich Zhaparov warmly welcomed Shehbaz Sharif upon his arrival at the summit venue. The two leaders exchanged a handshake before the proceedings began.
Shehbaz later joined the leaders of the SCO member states for a group photograph.
The formal summit subsequently commenced with the participation of leaders from the organisation’s 10 member states. The gathering focused on strengthening regional cooperation and addressing shared political, economic and security challenges.
