ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will participate in the 16th Meeting of the Council of the Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) being held in the Russian City of Sochi from November 30 to December 01, 2017.
The Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev had invited his Pakistani Counterpart to attend the SCO Heads of Government meeting, said a press release issued by the Foreign Office in Islamabad on Wednesday.
This is the first SCO Heads of Government meeting that Pakistan will participate in after assumption of full membership in June this year.
The meeting is mandated to focus on the strategy, prospects and priorities for SCO’s developmental cooperation.
SCO now comprises eight Member States including Pakistan, China, Russia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It has four observer states: Iran, Afghanistan, Belarus and Mongolia and six dialogue partners: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey.
SCO objectives include building mutual trust, equality, respect for cultural diversity and good-neighborly relations. It aims to promote effective cooperation in the areas of political, security, trade, economy and social sectors. SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) contributes towards regional peace, security and stability.
Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will participate in the SCO Retreat being hosted by the Russian prime minister with his other SCO Counterparts. The Retreat will be followed by a Plenary Session of the Council of Heads of Government where the prime minister will deliver a statement.
At the plenary, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will outline Pakistan’s commitment to SCO’s objectives including fighting terrorism and extremism and its sincere interest in regional peace, stability and development.
The meeting will close on a signing ceremony of decisions and Joint Communiqué by the heads of delegations.
The prime minister will also hold important bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit.
