DPM Dar to lead Pakistani delegation at SCO summit in Moscow from Nov 17-18

• Deputy PM visiting Moscow at Russian PM's invitation: FO.
• Says Dar to share Pakistan’s perspective on regional issues.
• CHG oversees cooperation in areas such as economy, finance.

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar will lead the Pakistani delegation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting in Moscow from  November 17-18, following an invitation from Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement on Monday.

According to the Foreign Office, the meeting will be attended by the heads of government of Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, alongside the vice president of Iran and the foreign ministers of Pakistan and India. 

Representatives from Mongolia, Bahrain, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait and Turkmenistan, as well as leaders of regional organisations, including the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Euro Asian Economic Union (EAEU), Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), and Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), will also attend the meeting, the statement said.

“In his address to the SCO CHG, the deputy prime minister will share Pakistan’s perspective on important regional and global issues as well as ways to strengthen the Organisation for the benefit of the SCO region,” it added.

The CHG is the second-highest decision-making body within the SCO and oversees cooperation in areas such as economy, finance, trade, connectivity, commerce and socio-economic development, including the organisation’s budget. It also adopts joint communiqués, statements and key decisions.

The FO added that Dar will hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of other SCO countries on the sidelines of the CHG to discuss matters of mutual interest.

Earlier this year, the SCO summit was held in Tianjin, China, from August 31 to September 1.

In September, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that Pakistan would host the next SCO summit.