ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Prime Minister Imran Khan will be visiting the Kyrgyz Capital Bishkek on June 13-14, 2019 to attend the 19th Meeting of the Council of the Heads of State (CHS) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Dispatch News Desk (DND) news agency reported.
Besides Pakistan, the SCO’s membership comprises China, Russia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan while the SCO Observers include Afghanistan, Iran, Belarus and Mongolia.
The Council of Heads of State is the highest forum of SCO which considers and defines strategy, prospects and priorities of the Organization.
The invitation to Prime Minister Imran Khan was extended by the Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov, who would Chair the CHS Meeting.
The Leaders of SCO Member and Observer States as well as representatives of important International Organizations will attend the Meeting.
The prime minister will address two sessions of the Meeting. A number of decisions will be approved by the Leaders besides signing of Agreements to intensify cooperation in diverse fields. He will have bilateral interaction with other participating Leaders on the sidelines.
In a press release issued in Islamabad on Wednesday, the Foreign Office said that the SCO is among the major trans-regional organizations.
The Foreign Office said that Pakistan shares deep rooted historical and cultural links with SCO Member States.
The SCO’s multi-sectoral cooperation agenda is in line with the government of Pakistan’s policy of promoting regional peace and stability and seeking enhanced linkages in infrastructure, economic, trade and cultural spheres.
The Foreign Office said that Pakistan offers critical overland route for trade and energy and supports SCO’s efforts for regional integration through linking CPEC with the 6 land routes of SCO.
Since becoming an SCO member in 2017, Pakistan has been actively participating at all levels in various SCO mechanisms including Foreign Affairs, Defence, National Security, Economy and Trade, Education and Healthcare, S&T and Innovation, Youth and Women Empowerment, Justice, Agriculture, Culture& Sports, Tourism and Media.
Earlier, the Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had attended the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) Meeting in Bishkek on May 21-22, 2019.
The SCO Council of Foreign Ministers considered and finalized the documents and decisions to be signed by the SCO Leaders during the Council of the Heads of State meeting.
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