Islamabad, 23 October 2023 (TDI): Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Jalil Abbas Jilani participated in the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
At the invitation of Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic Akylbek Japarov, Foreign Minister, Jalil Abbas Jilani will lead the Pakistani delegation to the 22nd meeting of SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) on 26 October 2023.
The vice president of Iran, the foreign ministers of Pakistan and India, and the heads of state of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan will all be present at the CHG meeting.
Along with Guest State Turkmenistan, SCO Observer States Belarus and Mongolia will also be present at the conference.
The second-highest forum in SCO is called CHG.
Moreover, its main areas of concentration include business, finance, economy, and socioeconomic cooperation.
Pakistan will take over the Chair of the CHG SCO on October 26, 2023.
Alongside the CHG Meeting, the Foreign Minister will also have bilateral discussions.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organization composed of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan founded in Shanghai in 2001.
The organization was first established as a platform for demilitarization and confidence-building, but its objectives have now expanded to include enhanced intelligence sharing and military and counterterrorism collaboration.
The SCO has also increased its attention to regional economic projects, such as the recently announced unification of the Eurasian Economic Union, headed by Russia, and the Silk Road Economic Belt, led by China.
The SCO has been a significant player in the globe since 2015.
Through this organization, China and Russia, two significant Eurasian giants, formed a partnership.
While many other member nations were designated as conversation partners or granted observer status.
Pakistan was admitted as an observer state in 2005, and it applied for permanent membership in 2010.
In the 2015 meeting of the Heads of the States in Ufa, Russia, it was decided to grant permanent membership to Pakistan.
It gives Pakistan the chance to contribute appropriately to the advancement of trade and commerce, counterterrorism, and regional stability.
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Joining the SCO is crucial from a security perspective for Pakistan, given the longstanding issues of extremism and terrorism.
Additionally, the SCO gives Pakistan the chance to expand commerce and fortify its connections with European nations, something that was previously unthinkable.
Membership in the SCO has given new direction and boosted the economic and political relations of Pakistan with all member states especially with China and the Central Asian states.
