Peace must for international trade: Qureshi

Ag Agencies

DUSHANBE: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday said establishing peace was imperative to ensure sustained international trade.

The foreign minister was addressing a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe. He said the SCO could benefit from Pakistan's experience in combating terrorism.

"Pakistan has played an important role to combat terrorism and extremism," FM Qureshi said during his speech. He said regional conflicts and terrorism were major challenges that should be addressed.

Further, the foreign minister reaffirmed Pakistan's support to the SCO charter. "Pakistan fully supports the [SCO] charter. We believe in bilateral cooperation to achieve common goals," Qureshi remarked.

Qureshi highlighted the importance of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as a vital platform to achieve the objectives of peace, security and stability across Eurasia. He underscored the need for upholding peace in an increasingly tense international environment, a foreign office statement issued here said.

The foreign minister stated this while participating in the restricted and extended sessions of the 17th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of the Member States of SCO in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on the invitation of Prime Minister of Tajikistan Qohir Rasulzoda.

The foreign minister conveyed greetings of Prime Minster Imran Khans to all leaders participating in the meeting. He emphasized cooperation among SCO countries in the field of multilateral trade and removal of tariff and non-tariff barriers. He supported the initiative of establishment of SCO development bank and development fund.

Speaking about economic development through regional connectivity, Qureshi highlighted the importance of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Qureshi expressed Pakistan’s full support for peace and stability in Afghanistan and assured full cooperation for SCO’s initiative in this regard. He also held important meetings on the sidelines of the summit.

This was the second CHG meeting attended by Pakistan after becoming a full member of the SCO in June last year. Prime Ministers of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Foreign Minister of India attended the meeting.

The Council of the Heads of the Government exchanged views on the emerging economic situation in the region and beyond and held in-depth discussions on economic integration, regional connectivity and peace and security.

On the sidelines of the summit, Qureshi Friday met Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and exchanged views on regional and international issues. Pakistan is one of the first countries which recognized Tajikistan after its independence, Foreign Office Spokesman Muhammad Faisal said in a Twitter mesagge on Friday.