By Our Diplomatic Correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, to lead Paki-stan’s delegation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government meeting, scheduled for October 19–20.
Upon arrival, DPM Dar was received by Tajikistan’s Minister of Energy and Water Resources, Daler Juma, who is also co-chair of the Pakistan–Tajikistan Joint Commission, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement on Monday.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to Tajikistan, Irfan Ahmed, and the country’s National Coordinator for the SCO, Khalil Hashmi, along with senior Tajik government officials, were also present to receive him.
Besides participating in the proceedings of the meeting, DPM Dar will meet Tajikistan’s leadership and his counterparts from SCO member states on the sidelines of the summit, a statement from the Foreign Office said.
Dar will lead Pakistan’s delegation to the meeting at the invitation of Tajikistan Prime Minister Qohir Rasulzoda.
The prime ministers of Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, along with the vice president of Iran and India’s external affairs minister, will represent their respec-tive countries at the CHG meeting.
The Council of Heads of Government is the SCO’s second-highest decision-making institution and provides guidance on a range of areas, including the economy, finance, trade, connectivity, com-merce, socio-economic cooperation and the organisation’s budgetary matters.
The meeting will also adopt a joint communique, statements and important decisions.
During his visit, Dar will call on the president and prime minister of Tajikistan. He will also hold bi-lateral meetings with his counterparts from SCO member states on the sidelines of the CHG meeting, the FO added.
Meanwhile, DPM Dar met Tajikistan Prime Minister Qohir Rasulzoda as the two leaders reviewed bi-lateral relations and reaffirmed commitment to further strengthening cooperation in multiple sectors.
In a post on X, the FO spokesperson said that the Tajik prime minister appreciated Pakistan’s media-tion efforts in the US-Iran conflict.
The DPM reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to working closely with Tajikistan to promote peace and advance regional economic integration.
DPM Dar and the Tajik premier reviewed bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to fur-ther strengthening cooperation in trade, investment, energy, connectivity, defence and culture, as well as promoting people-to-people exchanges.
They also underscored the importance of cooperation on climate change and water security.
Highlighting Pakistan’s expertise in disaster management, the deputy prime minister underscored the potential for cooperation with Tajikistan through the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
