ISLAMABAD -UNS: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for investing in the region’s collective capacity for connectivity as he chaired the 23rd Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Islamabad on Wednesday.
The SCO comprises China, India, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus — with 16 more countries affiliated as observers or “dialogue partners”.
Pakistan became a full member of the SCO at its 2017 summit in Kazakhstan, which was attended by ex-PM Nawaz Sharif, who recently also expressed hope for reviving ties with India.
As the current Chair of the Council of the Heads of Government (CHG), PM Shehbaz presided over its 23rd meeting, which took place at the Jinnah Convention Centre in the federal capital.
Addressing the summit, the premier said: “Flagship projects like the Belt and Road Initiative of President Xi Jinping; the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is in its second phase; and the international north-south transport corridor should be expanded, focusing on developing road, rail and digital infrastructure […].
“Let us not look at such projects through the narrow political prism, and invest in our collective connectivity capacity which is crucial in advancing the shared vision of an economically integrated region,” he added.
The prime minister said the SCO connectivity framework “should not merely boost regional trade but also advance the vision of connected Eurasia”.
He noted that economic collaboration was at the heart of SCO engagement and that investment in regional infrastructure was “indispensable for promoting economic integration”.
PM Shehbaz called on the SCO members to “endorse a strategy for the development of Energy Cooperation 2030 and the establishment of the Association of Investors”.
The prime minister later said he was honoured to chair the summit. “I am confident that, together, we can build a bright future for the people of SCO region and beyond,” he said.
Ahead of the summit, PM Shehbaz welcomed the leaders of SCO member states and posed for pictures with each of them.
‘Poverty a moral imperative, climate change an existential crisis’
The premier also spoke on poverty, climate change, and regional financial architecture, among other things.
The prime minister asserted that poverty was not just an economic issue but a “moral imperative that demands collective attention with millions living in poverty within the SCO region”.
Highlighting Pakistan’s efforts as the chair of the SCO’s special working group on poverty, PM Shehbaz said his country facilitated several seminars and webinars aimed at poverty alleviation.
“We shall continue to provide the required impetus to a collective effort to address root causes of poverty and uplift the quality of life for our people,” he pledged.
Speaking about climate change, PM Shehbaz recalled the devastating floods of 2022, “when millions of people in this country were living under open skies, millions of acres of standing crops were washed away, millions of houses were all drowned”.
Pakistan’s economy suffered losses worth approximately $30 billion “for no fault of ours”, he added.
Referring to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) as a tech-driven system which was “one of its own kind in the world”, PM Shehbaz said: “We look forward to organising simulation exercises with SCO partners to bolster disaster preparedness across the region.”
“Unilateral coercive measures and protectionist policies run contrary to principles of international law,” the premier said, adding that this stifled economic growth, hindered tech advancement and exacerbated inequality.
“Reforming the global financial architecture and trade regimes is essential to fostering equitable global development,” he stressed.
“Pakistan supports the establishment of an SCO alternative development funding mechanism, which could provide the impetus needed for the revival of stalled development projects.”
The prime minister noted: “Growing consensus among the member states on the use of mutual currencies for settlements is a promising development.
“The SCO interbank union is an appropriate forum to address banking challenges and moving towards settlement with mutual currencies will shield us from global financial disruptions,” he added.
Endorsing reforms aimed at enhancing regional anti-terrorist structure, PM Shehbaz stressed that the “true essence of the SCO extends beyond political alliances and economic partnerships”.
He concluded his address by reaffirming Pakistan’s deep commitment to fostering people-to-people ties to “bridge divides and promote harmony”.
SCO a ‘beacon of multilateralism’
At the outset of his main address, PM Shehbaz highlighted: “We are at a historic moment of transition where sweeping transformations are reshaping the global, social, political, economic and security landscape.”
