ISLAMABAD (PEN) : The world leaders have started arriving at the Convention Centre here to attend plenary session of the 23rd Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and Prime Minister of Turkmenistan at the center.
Pakistan is hosting a global event after 27 years as Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) will be held on Wednesday (today) under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
THE SUMMIT
The 23rd SCO Council of Heads of Governments (CHG) meeting will open with the address of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The prime ministers of eight countries will deliberate on economy, trade and environment in the SCO meeting. The summit will approve the organisation’s bud¬get and address key issues related to economic collaboration among member states.
The plenary session will conclude with a document-signing ceremony.
The leaders attending the SCO summit include China’s Premier of the State Council Li Qiang, Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Tajik Prime Minister Kohir Rasulzoda, Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, Kyrgyzstan’s Chairman of Ministers’ Cabinet Zhaparov Akylbek, Trade Minister of Iran Seyyed Mohammad Atabek, and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai of Mongolia is participating as an observer, and Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Rashid Meredov of Turkmenistan as a special guest. Representatives from international organisations, including the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the European Economic Community, are also attending the meeting.
A group photo of the participating leaders was taken before the start of the meeting.
World leaders start arriving for SCO summit, PM Shehbaz receives guests
It may be noted that Pakistan took over the chair of the SCO CHG for 2023-24 at the Bishkek meeting on October 26, 2023. Interim foreign minister Jalil Abbas Jilani represented Pakistan.
SECURITY HEIGHTENED
Strict security arrangements have been made in the federal capital for the SCO meeting. Additional 30 checkpoints have been set up in the capital, manned by 1,287 personnel under four SPs and 43 DSPs.