Deputy PM Dar to represent Pakistan at Moscow SCO summit

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will represent Pakistan at the Council of Heads of Government meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Moscow on November 17 and 18, the Foreign Office announced on Monday.

The invitation to the summit comes from Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Vladmirovich Mishustin. The meeting will bring together the heads of government from SCO member states, including Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Pakistan and India will be represented by their foreign ministers, while Iran will send its vice president.

In addition to SCO members, leaders from Mongolia, Bahrain, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait and Turkmenistan will attend the meeting. Representatives of regional and international organisations such as the Commonwealth of Independent States, Euro Asian Economic Union, and Collective Security Treaty Organisation are also expected to participate.

During the summit, Dar is scheduled to deliver Pakistan’s perspective on key regional and global challenges, as well as proposals to enhance cooperation within the SCO. He is also expected to hold bilateral talks with leaders of other member countries.

The Council of Heads of Government is the second-highest decision-making body within the SCO. It oversees matters of economy, trade, finance, connectivity, commerce, and socio-economic cooperation, including budgetary issues. The council also adopts joint communiqués, statements, and other important decisions.

Earlier this year, the SCO held its annual summit in Tianjin, China, from August 31 to September 1. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had announced in September that Pakistan would host the next SCO summit, though an official date has yet to be confirmed.