PM Shahbaz Sharif lands in Uzbekistan to attend SCO Summit

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Thursday arrived in Uzbekistan on a two-day visit to attend the annual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's (SCO) Council of Heads of State (CHS).

PM Shahbaz will attend the SCO summit scheduled to be held on September 15-16 at the invitation of Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who would chair the meeting. The CHS is the highest forum of the SCO, which considers and defines strategy, prospects and priorities of the Organization.

During the meeting, the SCO leaders will deliberate on important global and regional issues, including climate change, food security energy security, and sustainable supply chains.

They would also approve agreements and documents that would chart the future direction of cooperation among SCO member states.

Besides attending the summit, the prime minister would hold bilateral meetings with other participating leaders on the sidelines of the Council of Heads of State meeting.

Since becoming full member of SCO in 2017, Pakistan has been actively contributing towards advancing Organization’s core objectives through its participation in various SCO mechanisms.

Collectively, the SCO member states represent nearly half of the world’s population and a quarter of global economic output.

"SCO's agenda of promoting peace and stability, and seeking enhanced linkages in economic, trade and cultural spheres, is aligned with Pakistan’s own vision for enhancing economic connectivity as well as peace and stability in the region," read a statement issued by the Prime Minister Office.