Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Governments held in Bishkek

BISHKEK, Oct 26 (SABAH): Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani led the Pakistan delegation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Heads of Government Meeting (SCO-CHG), held in Bishkek on Thursday. The Council of Heads of Government is the second highest forum within the SCO, with a primary focus on fostering cooperation among member states in socio-economic, trade, and financial sectors.

In Bishkek, the Foreign Minister has met with the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Prime Minister of Tajikistan, the Vice President of Iran, the Foreign Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Deputy Chair of the Cabinet of Turkmenistan and the Secretary General of SCO. These exchanges covered a wide range of areas of bilateral cooperation and discussion on regional cooperation for mutual prosperity.

In his statement at the SCO-CHG meeting, the Foreign Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to the “Shanghai Spirit,” emphasizing mutual trust and a shared vision for prosperity and development. He outlined Pakistan’s perspective on transport and regional connectivity and regional cooperation in youth empowerment, poverty alleviation, climate change, and disaster relief.

The Joint Communiqué adopted at the Meeting reflects the collective vision of SCO Member States on economy, trade, climate change, finance, industry, investment, transport, customs, intellectual property rights, ICT and innovation technology, energy, agriculture and food security, healthcare, and collaboration in humanitarian and cultural spheres.

On Thursday, Pakistan also assumed the Chair of the Council of Heads of Government from 2023 to 2024. As the chair of SCO, Pakistan will make efforts for collective prosperity and development with steadfast dedication to the SCO Charter. These efforts will focus on practical collaboration in bolstering connectivity, transport infrastructure, youth empowerment, poverty alleviation and the imperative of investing in high-potential sectors, including agriculture, mining, minerals, energy, and information technology.