ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is set to represent Pakistan at the Council of Heads of Government meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Moscow on November 17 and 18, as confirmed by the Foreign Office on Monday.
The invitation for the summit was extended by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Vladimirovich Mishustin. The event will gather the heads of government from SCO member states, which include Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Pakistan and India will participate through their foreign ministers, while Iran will be represented by its vice president.
Additionally, leaders and representatives from Mongolia, Bahrain, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, and Turkmenistan will also be in attendance. Officials from regional and international organisations like the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Eurasian Economic Union, and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation are anticipated to join as well.
During the summit, Ishaq Dar will present Pakistan’s stance on pressing regional and global challenges and propose strategies to bolster collaboration among SCO members. He is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with other participating leaders.
As the second-highest decision-making body within the SCO, the Council of Heads of Government focuses on economic, trade, financial, connectivity, commercial, and socio-economic cooperation matters, including budgetary concerns. It is responsible for approving joint communiqués, statements, and other key resolutions.
Earlier in the year, the SCO held its annual summit in Tianjin, China, from August 31 to September 1. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had stated in September that Pakistan would host the next SCO summit, though the official date is yet to be announced.
