The Foreign Minister – Shah Mehmood Qureshi – attended a meeting with member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers.
According to the reports, Shah Mehmood traveled to Moscow to attend a two-day meeting chaired by Russian Foreign Minister – Sergei Lavrov.
Moreover, Shah Mehmood met with his counterparts from member countries of SCO in a meeting held by Vladimir Putin. According to the press release, President Putin invited all the foreign ministers in a video-link meeting for a warm welcome. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood was also one of the participants and met with President Putin, reports say.
Pleasure to be in Moscow for #SCO CFM, exploring common ground & forging unity against common challenges. Thank you President #VladimirPutin for your address strengthening the Shanghai spirit. 🇵🇰 believes SCO is vital for crafting synergies & connectivity @KremlinRussia_E pic.twitter.com/wFdpdr6Ajt
— Shah Mahmood Qureshi (@SMQureshiPTI) September 9, 2020
Qureshi met with his Tajik Counterpart
Shah Mehmood also met with the Tajik foreign minister along with the SCO-CFM and discussed bilateral relations, regional situations, and other global issues with him.
The Foreign Office said,
Both sides are positive over the improvement of bilateral relations and look forward to strengthen them further
They appreciated the coordination between both countries, including the SCO – which helped develop mutual interests on a regional and international level.
According to the statement, both the foreign ministers talked about improving bilateral trade, connectivity, and people-to-people contacts.
The foreign ministers of both the countries agreed that the joint ministerial commission (JMC) and multiple joint working groups (JWGs) are great platforms to achieve desired goals in the areas of tourism, trade, investment, transport, industry, and agriculture.
Furthermore, the two also exchanged views on the ongoing efforts to bring peace in Afghanistan. Pakistan FM made sure to highlight the country’s commitment to ensuring peace in Afghanistan.
The two also talked about the COVID-19 responses in their countries and efforts made to contain its spread. Both the foreign ministers agreed to maintain coordination at all levels.
At the airport, Pakistan’s ambassador to Moscow – Shafqat Ali Khan, Additional Secretary – Zahoor Ahmed, and senior Russian foreign ministry officials were present to welcome Pakistan, the foreign minister.
SCO’s current membership includes Pakistan, China, Russia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Pakistan joined the SCO in 2017 and has been making efforts to achieve SCO’s agenda of sectoral collaboration.
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