ISLAMABAD – On Thursday, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that peace in Afghanistan’s war-torn country was critical to achieving the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s goal of regional connectivity (SCO).
Shah Mahmood represented Pakistan in the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) 20th anniversary meeting, which was held in a virtual format and led by Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin. At the level of prime ministers, vice presidents, and foreign ministers, all SCO member states and observer nations were represented, according to the foreign office.
The SCO’s 20th anniversary year, according to Qureshi, is a critical crossroads at which member states’ leaders must work together to set the organization’s future trajectory.
Pakistan’s “resolute determination to continue to pursue the SCO’s aims and objectives” was underlined by the foreign minister.
“Regional security is important in accomplishing the SCO’s aim of regional prosperity and economic progress,” he said, adding that peace in Afghanistan was critical for all SCO member nations to achieve that goal.
Pakistan, he added, will continue to “play its role in assisting our Afghan brethren in their hour of need by contributing to their socio-economic development,” as well as work with regional and international partners to achieve common aims and objectives.
The foreign minister emphasised the importance of initiatives aimed at improving regional connectivity and connecting businesspeople and entrepreneurs in order to achieve regional economic growth.
The SCO is a nine-member economic and security bloc that has evolved as one of the greatest transregional international organisations. It is considered as a counterbalance to NATO.
In 2017, India and Pakistan were admitted as permanent members. Iran joined the group in 2021.
The SCO was created by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan during a summit in Shanghai in 2001.
The Council of Heads of Government is the SCO’s second highest forum, focusing particularly on socioeconomic, commercial, and financial cooperation among member nations.