FM Qureshi heads to Moscow to attend SCO moot

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has departed for Moscow on a two-day official visit to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers.

He will be attending the SCO moot at the invitation of his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

Talking to the media before his departure, Qureshi said the SCO is an important platform that provides numerous opportunities for progress, prosperity, and regional connectivity. There will be foreign ministers of several countries at the conference, which have a keen interest as well as link with peace and stability in Afghanistan, he added.

He said he will be holding meetings with them on the sidelines of the conference. He said his meeting with the Russian FM has also been scheduled, adding there are bright chances of promotion of bilateral relations with Russia in the days to come. Pakistan looks forward to a long-term multi-dimensional partnership with Russia, he maintained.

Qureshi said Russia has an interest in the North-South gas pipeline project, which can benefit Pakistan.

The 1100-kilometer long pipeline will be laid between Karachi and Lahore, and this project has been delayed since 2015, he elaborated. He said the project will be discussed and some progress may also take place during the visit.