The Deputy Prime Minister (PM) and Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, on Friday received the Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Nurlan Yermekbayev, who is on an official visit to Pakistan.

Ishaq Dar congratulated Mr Yermekbayev on commencement of his responsibilities as the new Secretary General of SCO. He assured him of Pakistan’s full support for the SCO Secretariat.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister underlined Pakistan’s close historical ties with SCO member States and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to uphold the Shanghai spirit.

He appreciated the potential of SCO as forum for promoting regional peace and security as well as a tool to achieve enhanced economic development within the region.

In this context, he reiterated Pakistan’s constructive involvement for mutually beneficial cooperation within the SCO mechanisms especially in the areas of bilateral trade, transport and connectivity.

The Secretary General Yermekbayev thanked Pakistan for the hospitality and appreciated Pakistan’s active engagement in SCO activities. He lauded Pakistan’s successfully hosting of the Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the SCO member States (SCO CHG) in Islamabad in October 2024.

Both dignitaries had a useful exchange of views on SCO priorities. They deliberated on ways and means for advancing cooperation under SCO in the areas of transportation and logistics, energy security, food security, health, e-commerce and green economy.

According to the Foreign Office, the SCO is a ten-member intergovernmental trans-regional organization established since 15 June 2001.

Pakistan became SCO Observer in 2005 and acquired full membership in June 2017. Pakistan advocates regional peace, stability and socio-economic development at the SCO platform.