ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi will leave for Russia today on a two-day visit to represent Pakistan in Shanghai Cooperation Organization's (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (SCO-CFM) being held from 9-10th Sep in Moscow.
The invitation to the foreign minister to attend the SCO-CFM was extended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who would also chair the meeting, the Foreign Office said in a statement.
Since becoming a member in 2017, it added, Pakistan has been actively contributing in working towards achieving the SCO's multi-sectoral agenda through participation in various SCO mechanisms. From 2005 to 2017, Pakistan was an Observer in the SCO.
The SCO-CFM is the highest forum of the SCO after the Council of Heads of State (CHS) and the Council of Heads of Government (CHG). It deliberates on important regional and international issues and considers documents for approval and adoption by the Council of Heads of State.
The Moscow SCO-CFM will consider more than 20 documents for subsequent adoption in the SCO Council of Heads of State. It will also adopt a Joint Communiqué reflecting member states' unified stance on important regional and international issues.
The foreign minister will also have bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the CFM. The SCO's major objectives include promoting mutual confidence and good-neighborly relations among member states; strengthening regional peace, security and stability; and creating a framework for effective cooperation in political, cultural, trade and economy, science and technology, education, energy, transportation, tourism, environmental protection, and other fields.
Besides Pakistan, the SCO's current membership comprises China, Russia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The SCO is an important forum for further enriching our deep-rooted historical and cultural links with member states, providing these ties a sound economic foundation, and promoting Pakistan as a regional trade and transit corridor.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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