Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for investing in the region’s collective capacity for connectivity as he chaired the 23rd Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Islamabad on Wednesday.
The SCO comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus — with 16 more countries affiliated as observers or “dialogue partners”.
Pakistan became a full member of the SCO at its 2017 summit in Kazakhstan, which was attended by ex-PM Nawaz Sharif, who recently also expressed hope for reviving ties with India.
Highlights from SCO summit:
- PM Shehbaz says poverty a “moral imperative”, climate change an “existential crisis”
- PM says “stable Afghanistan essential” for region’s benefits
- In closing remarks, Shehbaz asserts “ongoing genocide” in Gaza cannot be ignored
- India’s Jaishankar claims “activities across borders characterised by terrorism”
As the current Chair of the Council of the Heads of Government (CHG), PM Shehbaz presided over its 23rd meeting, which took place at the Jinnah Convention Centre in the federal capital.
Addressing the summit, the premier said: “Flagship projects like the Belt and Road Initiative of President Xi Jinping; the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is in its second phase; and the international north-south transport corridor should be expanded, focusing on developing road, rail and digital infrastructure […].
“Let us not look at such projects through the narrow political prism, and invest in our collective connectivity capacity which is crucial in advancing the shared vision of an economically integrated region,” he added.
The prime minister said the SCO connectivity framework “should not merely boost regional trade but also advance the vision of connected Eurasia”.
He noted that economic collaboration was at the heart of SCO engagement and that investment in regional infrastructure was “indispensable for promoting economic integration”.
PM Shehbaz called on the SCO members to “endorse a strategy for the development of Energy Cooperation 2030 and the establishment of the Association of Investors”.
Ahead of the summit, PM Shehbaz welcomed the leaders of SCO member states and posed for pictures with each of them.
