TASHKENT: Sartaj Aziz, adviser to Prime Minister on foreign affairs and national security, said on Friday that Pakistan is working on a roadmap to ensure regional peace and stability in partnership with Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Aziz made these remarks while addressing SCO Heads of Government meeting in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Friday.
The two-day summit of the regional grouping began on Thursday to focus on trade, economic matters and discuss issues of multilateral cooperation.
“Pakistan desires to develop closer links with SCO financial and banking sectors‚ and promote linkages with private sectors,” Aziz said.
“It also wishes to undertake with SCO high impact initiatives in energy‚ transport and telecommunication sectors,” he added.
Sartaj Aziz said that Pakistan is making significant headway in its fight against terrorism and extremism and it has offered unprecedented sacrifices in this regard. He said we are pursuing a policy of dialogue to end the ongoing violence.
The SCO, a Eurasian political, economic and military organization, was founded in Shanghai on June 15, 2001 and currently it has six full members including China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Along with Iran, India, Afghanistan and Mongolia, Pakistan has an observer status in the SCO since 2005 and has been actively participating in its various conferences and events.
Initially, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was to attend the summit and had confirmed his participation. His meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders had also been planned on the sidelines of the summit. However, later he nominated Sartaj Aziz to represent Pakistan in the summit.
