Pakistan, Iran to enhance trade, transport connectivity

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan Ishaq Dar, arrived in Moscow to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Heads of Government (SCO-CHG) meeting, which will be held from November 17 to 18.

Dar was received by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Director of the State Protocol Aleksander Prusov, Deputy Director of the Second Asia Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexei Surovtsev, and officers from the Pakistan Embassy.

The CHG will be attended by the Heads of Government of Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, the Vice President of Iran. While other member countries will be represented by their Heads of Government, Pakistan and India will be represented by their foreign ministers. Dar’s Indian counterpart, Dr. Jaishankar, will attend the meeting, and as in the past, both are expected to avoid each other. Dar had received an invitation from the Prime Minister of Russia, Mikhail Vladimirovich Mishustin.

In addition to SCO member states, the Heads of Government of Mongolia, Bahrain, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, and Turkmenistan, along with heads of international and regional organisations—including the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Euro Asian Economic Union (EAEU), the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)—will attend the meeting.

“In his address, the Dar will share Pakistan’s perspective on important regional and global issues, as well as ways to strengthen the Organisation for the benefit of the SCO region,” the FO statement said. The CHG is the second-highest decision-making institution in the SCO. It provides guidance in the areas of economy, finance, trade, connectivity, commerce, socio-economic cooperation, and the budgetary matters of the Organisation. The SCO CHG adopts a Joint Communiqué, statements, and important decisions. Dar will also hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of other SCO countries on the sidelines of the CHG.

Meanwhile, Pakistan and Iran held comprehensive discussions on the entire spectrum of bilateral relations when the two sides met at the Foreign Office for the 13th Round of Pakistan-Iran Bilateral Political Consultations (BPC). They also reviewed the status of implementation of decisions from the last BPC. “It was agreed to enhance and diversify bilateral trade and expand cooperation in energy, transport connectivity, education, and people-to-people exchanges,” the Foreign Office added.

The Pakistani side was led by Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch, while the Iranian delegation was headed by Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takht-Ravanchi. Senior officials from both sides participated in the consultations. They held comprehensive discussions on the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and reviewed the status of implementation of decisions from the last BPC. “It was agreed to enhance and diversify bilateral trade and expand cooperation in energy, transport connectivity, education, and people-to-people exchanges,” the statement said.

They also exchanged views on regional and global developments of importance, while underscoring the significance of regularly convening various institutional mechanisms, including the Joint Economic Commission (JEC) and the Joint Trade Committee (JTC), to forge closer cooperation in areas of mutual interest. They reaffirmed their commitment to continue cooperation at multilateral fora, including the UN, OIC, and ECO, and to strengthen dialogue on global and regional issues of common concern. The consultations reflected the close, brotherly relations between Pakistan and Iran, rooted in shared history, culture, and faith. It was agreed to hold the next round of bilateral political consultations in Tehran on mutually convenient dates.

Earlier Iran’s Deputy Minister for Political Affairs, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, paid a courtesy call on FM Ishaq Dar. “They discussed preparations for the BPC, key regional and multilateral developments, and ways to further strengthen bilateral relations,” said the Foreign Office.