FM urges inclusive approach to address challenges in SCO states

Qureshi says group’s emphasis on conflict resolution offers hope to humanity

ISLAMABAD:

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) still faced multifaceted challenges of poverty, food security, and climate change, which could be addressed through an inclusive approach.

In his virtual address to the leaders at the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting held in Nur Sultan, Kazakhstan, the foreign minister said the SCO’s emphasis on cooperation and conflict resolution offered hope to humanity.

Terming the SCO a model of shared growth and prosperity, Qureshi said that it provided an attractive platform for inter-state cooperation in diverse fields, including economy, security, connectivity and sustainable development.

He stressed that regional security was a must for the realisation of the collective vision for prosperity and economic growth of the region. In this context, stability in Afghanistan was of critical importance for all owing to the geographic compulsions and enduring ties to the people of Afghanistan, he said.

The foreign minister informed the participants of the meeting, including Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin, SCO Secretary General Vladimir Norov and others that Afghanistan had undergone a fundamental transformation as its people faced critical economic and humanitarian challenges.

He urged the international community to engage constructively to mitigate the sufferings of Afghans. “Pakistan will continue to assist its Afghan brethren in their hour of need by contributing towards Afghanistan’s socio-economic development,” he added.

Qureshi said the agenda of the SCO meeting focused on practical steps that would further the collective desire for greater progress in economic, trade, and humanitarian spheres. He emphasised enhanced interaction among members of the Business Council, and entrepreneurs from the SCO region.

Read Afghanistan’s stability vital for all SCO states: FM Qureshi

He welcomed the initiatives on ‘smart’ agriculture and the introduction of agro-innovation aimed at ensuring uninterrupted flow of agro-industrial products to maintain food security and socio-economic stability within the SCO region.

He reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolute commitment to continue to advance SCO’s goals and objectives. “This stems from our unshakable belief in multilateralism as the most effective way to address challenges and realise opportunities,” he concluded.

ASEM13

Meanwhile, representing Pakistan at the 13th Asia-Europe Meeting Summit (ASEM13), Qureshi highlighted several projects undertaken by Pakistan in cooperation with the regional countries, including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Qureshi underscored the significance of Pakistan in providing a vital link between South Asia and Central and West Asia and onwards to Europe. He urged the ASEM members to strengthen collaboration in science and technology, trade, business, security, culture, infrastructure, and people-to-people contacts.

ASEM13 began on Thursday and will continue till Friday (today). It is an informal dialogue forum between Asia and Europe, which addresses political, economic and social issues confronting the two regions and aims at strengthening their relationship in a spirit of mutual respect and equal partnership.

The foreign minister, in his statement, apprised the meeting of Pakistan’s perspective on important regional and international issues. He underlined that terrorism and violent extremism were the global phenomena.

“The international community requires coherent, effective response and greater cooperation to address the root causes of conflicts, especially longstanding unresolved disputes such as the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) that threaten international peace and security,” he added.