Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will leave for Samarkand, Uzbekistan on May 15 to attend the annual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) Council of Heads of State (CHS), where climate change will be on the agenda. According to a handout released by the Foreign Office on Tuesday, the premier will be visiting Uzbekistan from September 15 (Thursday) to 16 (Friday) at the invitation of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who will be chairing the meeting. “The prime Minister will be participating in the SCO summit on the invitation of Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who would chair the meeting,” the Foreign Office said in a statement. The leaders of SCO members and observer states as well as heads of SCO organizations and other special guests will attend the meeting. Besides attending the summit, PM Shehbaz Sharif will hold bilateral meetings with other participating leaders on the sidelines of the SCO summit.

At the forthcoming CHS, the SCO leaders will deliberate on important global and regional issues, including climate change, food security energy security, and sustainable supply chains. They will also approve agreements and documents that would chart the future direction of cooperation among SCO member states. The SCO is a major trans-regional organization spanning South and Central Asia. Founded in 2001, the SCO upholds the values and principles enshrined in the “Shanghai Spirit” that include mutual trust, mutual benefit and pursuit of common development. The CHS is the highest forum of the SCO, which considers and defines the strategy, prospects, and priorities of the Organization. Since becoming full member of SCO in 2017, Pakistan has been actively contributing towards advancing the Organization’s core objectives through its participation in various SCO mechanisms.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP