PM Shehbaz to leave today for Kyrgyzstan to attend SCO summit

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will travel to Kyrgyzstan on Monday (today) for a three-day official visit during which he will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State meeting and the SCO Plus Summit, the Foreign Office said.

The prime minister will visit Kyrgyzstan from August 31 to September 2 at the invitation of President Sadyr Japarov. During the visit, Pakistan will assume the chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of State for 2026-27.

PM Shehbaz will also attend the opening ceremony of the World Nomad Games on August 31 and is expected to hold bilateral meetings with leaders of participating countries on the sidelines of the SCO gatherings.

On September 2, the prime minister will hold bilateral talks with President Japarov. The two leaders will review the full range of Pakistan-Kyrgyzstan relations and discuss measures to expand cooperation in trade, investment, energy and regional connectivity.

The talks will also cover education, tourism and people-to-people contacts, while the leaders are expected to exchange views on regional and international developments.

The Foreign Office said Pakistan-Kyrgyzstan relations are based on shared history, religious ties and cultural links. It said the visit would help further strengthen the longstanding ties between the two countries and broaden cooperation in key areas.