Shehbaz meets Putin, Pezeshkian in Bishkek

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with several world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in Bishkek on Monday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State meeting.

Shehbaz arrived in the Kyrgyz capital for a three-day official visit to attend the SCO Council of Heads of State meeting and the SCO Plus Summit, besides assuming Pakistan's chairmanship of the council for 2026-27

Chairman of Kyrgyzstan's Cabinet of Ministers Adylbek Kasymaliev received the prime minister upon his arrival at Manas International Airport, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office.

Soon after his arrival, he called on Pezeshkian. "President Pezeshkian personally received Prime Minister Sharif upon his arrival for the bilateral meeting," the statement said.

The two leaders discussed the evolving regional situation, with Shehbaz reaffirming Pakistan's commitment to regional peacebuilding and highlighting the recent visit of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir to Tehran.

He stressed building on the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Iran and the United States in June as a viable pathway to lasting regional peace.

The prime minister invited President Pezeshkian to visit Pakistan. The Iranian president, in turn, invited Shehbaz to the ECO Summit in Tehran in December 2026.

Both the leaders reaffirmed their close and longstanding ties, stressing the need to further strengthen bilateral relations in line with understandings reached during Pezeshkian's visit to Pakistan in June.

Later, Prime Minister Shehbaz attended the opening ceremony of the sixth World Nomad Games in Bishkek where he held informal meetings with several world leaders, discussing matters of mutual interest and Pakistan's relations with their respective countries.

During the ceremony, the prime minister met Russian President Putin, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

He also held informal interactions with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith, Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe and Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh.

The discussions covered bilateral relations as well as matters of mutual interest between Pakistan and the countries represented by the leaders.

Earlier, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Nurgozhoyevich Zhaparov received Prime Minister Shehbaz upon his arrival at the venue for the opening ceremony. A contingent of Pakistani athletes also participated in the World Nomad Games, drawing applause from spectators as it entered the stadium.

During his three-day visit, at the invitation of Kyrgyz President Sadyr Zhaparov, Shehbaz will address the SCO summit and present Pakistan's perspective on regional and global issues.

On the sidelines of the summit, the prime minister is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with leaders of the participating countries, with discussions expected to cover bilateral relations, trade and investment, regional cooperation and other matters of mutual interest.

Prime Minister Shehbaz will also hold formal talks with President Zhaparov on September 2 to review the entire spectrum of Pakistan-Kyrgyzstan relations and explore avenues for further strengthening bilateral cooperation.

The two sides will particularly discuss trade and investment, energy cooperation, regional connectivity, education, tourism and people-to-people exchanges, while also exchanging views on regional and international developments and cooperation at regional and multilateral forums.

The prime minister is accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan, Communications Minister Abdul Aleem Khan, Information and Broadcasting Minister Attaullah Tarar and senior officials.

Pakistan is set to assume the chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of State for 2026-27, placing Islamabad in a position to lead the organisation's top-level deliberations and host the SCO summit in 2027.

(WITH INPUTS FROM APP)