He emphasizes the SCO’s agenda, which spans trade, economy, culture, humanitarian cooperation
ISLAMABAD:
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday urged member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to accelerate economic cooperation, expand engagement with partner countries and modernize the organization to meet new global and regional challenges.
Dar, who also serves as the country’s foreign minister, made these remarks during his address at the 24th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Heads (CHG) held in Moscow, according to an official statement issued by the DPM office.
The Deputy Prime Minister said the joint communique and the documents adopted at the summit would go a long way towards collective efforts towards regional prosperity.
He stressed that the SCO’s agenda, which spans trade, economy, culture and humanitarian cooperation, forms the basis of a “mature, forward-looking” organization.
The foreign minister highlighted the results of the recent Tianjin summit and noted that the SCO is moving towards deeper economic integration.
He pointed to expanded trade cooperation, improved infrastructure connectivity, investment partnerships and promotion of digital economies as key pillars of sustainable growth across the SCO region. He also emphasized the SCO’s potential to improve humanitarian cooperation and disaster preparedness.
He shared that Pakistan has developed a “technology-driven, proactive” disaster management system and expressed Pakistan’s willingness to conduct simulation exercises with member countries to strengthen regional preparedness.
Calling for stronger engagement with SCO observer and partner states, Ishaq Dar urged the organization to move beyond “passive observation” and bring these countries into project-based initiatives in line with their expertise.
He also welcomed the introduction of English as a working language and suggested the establishment of translation units to expand the SCO’s global reach.
The Vice Premier outlined several proposals for practical cooperation, including activating financial tools such as the SCO Interbank Consortium and advancing plans for an SCO Development Bank to support connectivity and technical cooperation projects.
Ishaq Dar emphasized the importance of human capital development and advocated the expansion of the SCO University Network into a consortium focused on applied knowledge.
He said such an initiative would promote student exchange and joint research in critical areas including information technology, artificial intelligence, agriculture, water resources management and telemedicine.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening regional ties, Dar called for an SCO that acts as a “launch pad for shared success” that fosters greater innovation, interconnectedness and integration among its member states.
Ishaq Dar on Tuesday also met Chinese Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting here and reaffirmed the “all-weather” strategic partnership between Pakistan and China and reviewed bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
During the interaction, both sides reviewed bilateral cooperation, especially within the SCO, and praised the Shanghai Spirit principles that guide regional cooperation.
They also exchanged views on global issues and agreed to maintain real-time engagement going forward. Dar also called on President Vladimir Putin along with other heads of government delegations of the SCO member states.
President Putin welcomed the leaders and emphasized the importance of strengthening regional economic cooperation under the SCO, highlighting its role as a key platform for connectivity, stability and mutually beneficial development throughout the region, a press release from the DPM’s Office said.
