Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, a spokesman for the Foreign Office, announced on Thursday that Pakistan will host the Heads of Government summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in October of this year.
The FO spokesperson announced during the weekly press briefing that prior to the October summit, there will be a ministerial meeting and several rounds of meetings with senior officials. The purpose of these meetings is to focus on promoting cooperation amongst SCO member countries in the areas of finance, economics, socio-cultural affairs, and humanitarian efforts.
She emphasized that 2024 will be a pivotal year in Pakistan’s SCO relations as the country will take on the rotating Chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG), which is the second-most important decision-making body within the organization.
She informed the reporters that senior cabinet members and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif are now in Kazakhstan for the SCO.
The prime minister also took part in the first-ever Pakistan-Azerbaijan-Turkey Trilateral Summit during the SCO Summit in Astana.
Enhancing comprehensive collaboration between Pakistan and Tajikistan on regional and global problems of mutual concern was the main emphasis of his meetings in Dushanbe.
The Strategic Partnership Agreement, which includes planned high-level talks including leaders and foreign ministers, was signed by Pakistan and Tajikistan during the visit.