Islamabad to host 23rd SCO meeting

Pakistan will be hosting the 23rd meeting of the Council of the Heads of Government (CHG) of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) from 15 to 16 October 2024 here in Islamabad. According to Pakistan Foreign Office, the Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will preside over the CHG meeting where SCO member States will be represented by the Prime Ministers of China, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as well as the First Vice President of Iran and External Affairs Minister of India. The Prime Minister of Mongolia and Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan will also participate in the meeting. The CHG meeting will discuss ongoing cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, environment, socio-cultural linkages and review the performance of the Organization. The leaders will adopt important organizational decisions to further enhance cooperation among SCO member States and approve the budget of the Organization. PM Sharif is scheduled to hold important bilateral meetings with visiting Heads of Delegation on the sidelines of the meeting. Foreign dignitaries have started arriving in Islamabad for preparatory meetings of the SCO and security has been beefed up across the capital. Moreover, Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrives in Islamabad on Monday ahead of the SCO meeting on a four day visit to Pakistan. The Pakistan army has been called in to provide security for the event and the federal government has deployed over 10,000 police personnel for the security of around 900 delegates. After reviewing the arrangements, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar in a media talk said that all arrangements had been made to host the CHG of SCO meeting. He said that certain countries had requested for bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the CHG-SCO which were finalized. Dar expressed confidence that the SCO summit will serve as a pivotal moment for Pakistan, enhancing its positive image on the global stage. Source: Kuwait News Agency