Indian FM Jaishankar arrives in Paksitan for SCO summit

ISLAMABAD: Indian Minister for External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar also reached Pakistan to attend Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit where an Indian Air Force aircraft landed at Noor Khan Air Base at 3:26 PM.

Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar left for Pakistan in a special plane from Delhi.

Earlier, Belarusian Prime Minister, Roman Golovchenko arrived here on Tuesday to attend the twenty-third meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Federal Minister for Law and Justice, Human Rights, and Parliament Affairs, Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar warmly received the distinguished guest at Islamabad International Airport.

Children dressed in traditional attire presented bouquets to the foreign dignitaries.

A red carpet was rolled out to welcome the guests, underscoring the importance of the event and the cordial relations between the two nations.

23rd SCO Summit will begin today in Islamabad, with foreign guests arriving in the federal capital.

To participate in the meeting, Kyrgyzstan’s Chairman of Ministers’ Cabinet Zhaparov Akylbek arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday afternoon, where he was received by Federal Minister Musadik Malik at Noor Khan Airbase and was presented with a bouquet on this occasion.

The two-day 23rd meeting of the Council of the Heads of Government (CHG) of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to be held at the Jinnah Convention Center.

The annual meeting of the SCO CHG – the second highest forum within the SCO – will be chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as the current chair of the Council. Pakistan had assumed the rotating chair of the SCO CHG for 2023-24 at the previous meeting held in Bishkek on October 26, 2023.

The leaders from the SCO member states attending the summit include China’s Premier of the State Council Li Qiang, Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Tajik Prime Minister Kohir Rasulzoda, Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref, and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

Besides, Mongolia is participating in the summit as an Observer State being represented by Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai and Turkmenistan as Special Guest represented by Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Rashid Meredov.

Among other dignitaries attending the moot include SCO Secret-General Zhang Ming, Director of Executive Committee SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) Ruslan Mirzayev, Chairman of the Board of SCO Business Council Atif Ikram Shaikh and Chairman of the Council of SCO Interbank Union Marat Yelibayev.

On Tuesday evening, PM Shehbaz Sharif will host the welcome dinner for the dignitaries participating in the moot.

On Wednesday the regional leaders would gather at the Jinnah Convention Centre to discuss ongoing cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, environment, socio-cultural linkages and review the performance of the Organization.

The leaders will also adopt important organizational decisions to further enhance cooperation among SCO member States and approve the budget of the Organization.