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- Shehbaz Sharif will present Pakistan’s perspective on global and regional issues at the Council of Heads of State
- He will also participate in the SCO Plus Summit that will include observer nations and other invited guests
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit today, Thursday, in Kazakhstan and will hold a meeting with the President of the Central Asian state, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, according to a statement released by his office in Islamabad.
Sharif arrived in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, to attend the SCO meetings along with leaders and diplomats from China, India, Turkiye, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan and other countries to review economic and security cooperation.
His visit comes at a time when Pakistan seeks to promote itself as a trade and transit hub connecting the landlocked Central Asian Republics to the rest of the world via the Arabian Sea.
Troubled by a macroeconomic crisis, Islamabad has increasingly sought to enhance trade with regional countries in recent years.
“Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will participate in the Council of Heads of State meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization,” the PM Office announced while sharing details of Sharif’s engagements on Thursday. “At the meeting, the Prime Minister will present Pakistan’s perspective on important regional and global issues.”
“The Prime Minister will also participate in the SCO Plus Summit and will deliver a national statement,” it added.
The “SCO Plus” meeting refers to a format that includes not only the SCO member states but also observer nations and other invited guests.
The expanded format aims to broaden the dialogue and cooperation beyond the core member countries, engaging a wider range of nations in discussions on security, economic and cultural issues.
The prime minister also met Russian President Vladimir Putin after his arrival in Astana to discuss enhanced bilateral trade and diplomatic relations and assure him that the bilateral relations between the two states would not be impacted by geopolitical contingencies or relations with other countries.
The PM Office also said Sharif will meet the Kazakhstan president during the day.