Pakistan is all set to host historic meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) . Pakistan will host the twenty-third meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member countries in Islamabad from October 15 to October 16, 2024.
The Council of Heads of Government is the second highest decision-making body of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
As the current chair of the Council of Heads of Government, Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif will preside over the upcoming Council of Heads of Government meeting.
Pakistan expects the participation of SCO members, observer state Mongolia, special guest Turkmenistan, representatives of international organizations including the conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States and European Economic Community.
In the Council of Heads of Government meeting, cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, environment, socio-cultural relations will be discussed as well as the performance of the organization will be reviewed.
The SCO leaders will make important decisions to further enhance cooperation among member countries and approve the organization’s budget.
Since becoming a member in 2017, Pakistan has consistently and constructively worked to strengthen good neighborly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation among the member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Pakistan’s hosting of the Council of Heads of Government reflects Pakistan’s continued commitment to the objectives and principles of the SCO Charter and the values of the “Shanghai Spirit”.
Since its inception, the SCO has grown into a ‘big family’ of 26 countries, including member states, observers and dialogue partners.
Collectively, the SCOs account for 60% of the Eurasian land mass, 40% of the world’s population, and about 30% of the world’s GDP.
The SCO aims to achieve mutual trust, equality, respect for diversity, and the pursuit of common development, as opposed to the notions of geopolitical conflict or cultural conflict.
From the beginning, Pakistan has considered the SCO as an important platform and the country’s responsibilities in various councils as well as the highest decision-making body, the Council of Heads of State, provide important opportunities to advance the objectives of the SCO.
Regional peace and stability it will be necessary to be both imaginative and active organization member countries diversity, effects of competition of great powers, security threats in the region may be faced, Pakistan to promote connectivity, trade and economic cooperation in the region. It is a natural partner with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is naturally aligned with the SCO goals of promoting regional connectivity and trade.
Pakistan can also assist member countries in the field of security cooperation due to its extensive counter-terrorism experience and cooperation with the SCO’s Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure Mechanism.
By actively participating in the meetings of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Pakistan aims to strengthen its historic ties with Central Asia, strengthen its comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership with China.
Pakistan’s key strategic priorities within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization include establishing itself as a reliable partner;
Pakistan wants to enhance non-traditional security cooperation through the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure Mechanism within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and promote cooperation on defense and security issues.
The SCO platform provides opportunities for constructive engagement with India, future bilateral meetings and discussions on the sidelines.
The need of the hour is to discuss the possibility of trading in regional currencies on the SCO platform, as a shift towards trading in other currencies seems inevitable.
SCO multilateral platforms can facilitate dialogue between adversaries, reducing security concerns to allow greater trade and economic activity in the region.
This opportunity is a sign of Pakistan’s determination to combat terrorism, which is a cornerstone for regional integration within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
The SCO meeting is being considered as an important milestone for Pakistan’s development through which regional cooperation can gain economic and political strength.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a regional, political, economic and defense organization established by China and Russia on June 15, 2001. Initially, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan were members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Pakistan has been an observer country of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization since 2005, regularly attending the meetings of the organization and in 2010 Pakistan applied for membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the heads of its member states were invited by the organization to Pakistan in July 2015 approved the request and agreed to work out a mechanism for Pakistan’s formal accession. Pakistan and India joined as permanent members in June 2017, Iran in 2023 and Belarus in 2024, thereby becoming permanent members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
The number of members has increased to 10. In addition, 3 countries are associated with the organization as observers and 14 countries as dialogue partners.
Geographically, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization covers about 80% of the world’s land area. The SCO accounts for 40% of the world’s population and about 32% of GDP.
