Prime Minster Shehbaz Sharif participated in the 23rd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State (CHS) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) today.
In his address to the Summit, the prime minister affirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the principles and purposes of SCO Charter, describing the ‘Shanghai Spirit’ as a core value of SCO, which provides the basis for win-win cooperation. He also outlined Pakistan’s vision for the SCO as a regional organization focused on the promotion of peace, prosperity and shared development.
Underlining the importance of regional connectivity as a vehicle for peace and prosperity, the Prime Minister highlighted Pakistan’s location made it a natural bridge connecting Europe and Central Asia with China and South Asia. He announced that Pakistan would host the SCO Conference on Transport Connectivity for Regional Prosperity in the last quarter of 2023.
Calling poverty alleviation a shared priority for the SCO region, the Prime Minister welcomed the establishment of the SCO Special Working Group on Poverty Alleviation, which had been proposed by Pakistan.
The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of countering terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including state-sponsored terrorism. He highlighted Pakistan’s contributions towards regional and global counter-terrorism efforts, which had been made at immense sacrifice of blood and treasure.
The Prime Minister called upon the SCO leaders to strive for establishing positive peace in the SCO region by guaranteeing the fundamental rights and freedoms to all people, including those under occupation, and by combating all forms of racism, ultra-nationalism and xenophobic ideologies, especially Islamophobia. He also asked the SCO leaders to ensure respect for the universally recognized principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and right to self-determination, as well as the need to immediately and amicably resolve the long-standing disputes in the region.
The CHS is the SCO’s highest executive body where the leaders of SCO Member States approve decisions regarding the strategic direction of the Organization.
Besides the leaders of SCO Member States, the Presidents of SCO Observer States – Iran, Belarus and Mongolia – as well as the President of Turkmenistan and the heads of International Organizations attended the CHS.
At the 23rd Meeting of the CHS, SCO leaders approved 14 important decisions/documents, including the New Delhi Declaration, which articulated the collective stance of SCO Member States on strategic and geopolitical issues of common interest. They also adopted two joint statements on Strategies to Counter Radicalization Leading to Terrorism, Extremism and Separatism; and Cooperation in Digital Transformation; as well as the SCO Economic Development Strategy.
The CHS also approved the accession of Iran to the SCO as full member and initiated the process for full membership of Belarus. The CHS meeting provided an important opportunity for Pakistan to share its priorities for the future direction of the Organization. Since becoming a Member of the SCO in 2017, Pakistan has been actively participating in all SCO activities and has made constructive contributions towards achieving SCO’s multi-sectoral objectives under various SCO mechanisms.
