PM Shehbaz meets global leaders on SCO Summit's sidelines

ASTANA, KAZAKHSTAN: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday different world leaders on the sidelines of the  Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana.

The prime minister held meetings with United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov, and Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko.

They exchanged views on bilateral relations and matters of mutual interest.

All heads of member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, including PM Shehbaz Sharif, signed the outcome document after the SCO summit in Astana.

Meanwhile addressing the Summit, PM Shehbaz said that said the SCO, with its enormous human and socio-economic potential, represents a promising future.  As leaders, he said it is their responsibility to rise above partisan geopolitics and join hands to secure a peaceful and prosperous future for our people.

The PM pointed out that Pakistan’s location makes it an ideal trade conduit for the entire region. CPEC, the flagship project of Belt and Road initiative, supplements SCO’s vision for regional connectivity and economic interaction.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also emphasized the need for promoting the use of national currencies for mutual settlement within the SCO region saying this can help avoid international financial shocks. He said Pakistan supports the proposal to create an SCO alternative development funding mechanism to give the needed impetus to various stalled development initiatives.

Welcoming the SCO agreement on environment protection, Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan remains committed to working for a sustainable and nature-positive world.

The Prime Minister stressed the need for peace and stability in Afghanistan. He said the international community must engage meaningfully with the interim Afghan government to help them in their genuine economic and development needs.  He said the interim Afghan government must take concrete and effectives measures to ensure its soil is not used for terrorism by any entity against other states.