Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will participate in the 23rd Meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State (CHS) hosted by India and being held in video conference format on July 4.

‘‘The invitation to the Prime Minister to attend the SCO-CHS was extended by the Prime Minister of India in his capacity as the current Chair of the SCO,’’ the Foreign Office (FO) said in a press release on Friday.

India to host SCO summit in virtual format in July

The SCO is a political and security union of countries spanning much of Eurasia, including China, India and Russia. This year, the SCO CHS will also welcome Iran as a new member of the organisation, the foreign ministry said.

The FO said that the leaders will deliberate on important global and regional issues and chart the future direction of cooperation among member states.

‘‘The Prime Minister’s participation in the CHS illustrates the high importance that Pakistan attaches to the SCO, as an important forum for regional security and prosperity, and enhanced engagement with the region,’’ the FO added.

China’s President Xi Jinping will also attend and deliver a speech via video link on July 4.

Formed in 2001 by Russia, China and former Soviet states in Central Asia, the body has been expanded to include India and Pakistan, with a view to playing a bigger role as counterweight to Western influence in the region.

Kazakhstan will take over the presidency of the SCO after the July summit.

Earlier this year, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari attended SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting and reiterated Pakistan’s belief and adherence to the “principles of mutual trust, equality, respect for cultural diversity, and the pursuit of shared development enshrined in the original ‘Shanghai Spirit’”.

Addressing a press conference, he said “Pakistan’s decision to attend the meeting was excellent because I got to meet every foreign minister separately except for one”.

“We got to deliver our statement in official gathering and our goals are fulfilled,” he said.

He cited that historically, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) had advocated for normalisation of Pakistan-India relations but after India violated international law in August 2019, “that space has shrunk for me”.

“In the past, Benazir Bhutto tried and Asif Ali Zardari tried for the same but India’s illegal actions undermined the bilateral environment and onus is on India,” he said. “Now, there is a trust deficit. Both sides can sign an agreement but we are not sure if the understanding will be respected or not.”

India should create a conducive environment for talks, he stressed.