——- Ishaq Dar, Wang Yi meet on SCO summit sidelines
——- Leaders discuss progress on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor
——- Both express satisfaction with current level of coordination
——- Vow to continue unwavering support for each other national interest
By Our Diplomatic Correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China have reiterated their firm commitment to further strengthening bilat-eral cooperation to promote regional peace, stability, and development.
It was expressed when Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Ishaq Dar on Wednesday met with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meet-ing in Tianjin.
Dr congratulated FM Wang Yi on the successful hosting of the SCO CFM and conveyed gratitude to the leadership of China for the warm hospitality extended during the event.
The two leaders held wide-ranging discussions on key areas of mutual interest, including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and multilateral cooperation.
Emphasizing the strength of Pakistan-China All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership, they ex-pressed satisfaction with the ongoing close collaboration across various domains.
A day earlier, Ishaq Dar strongly condemned attacks by Israel and the United States on Iran, calling them “unacceptable” during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers meeting held in Tianjin, China.
The 10-member SCO includes China, Russia, India, Iran and Pakistan. The ministerial gathering is a prel-ude to the annual leaders’ summit scheduled for this autumn in Tianjin. Dar criticised Israel’s 13th June bombing campaign, which struck military, nuclear and residential tar-gets in Iran, killing nuclear scientists, civilians and senior commanders. He also denounced the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites on 22nd June, calling both sets of attacks “unjustified and illegitimate”. “We have strongly condemned the unjustified and illegitimate aggression by Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran and the US strikes on its nuclear facilities,” Dar said. “Such illegal actions directed against SCO member states are unacceptable.”
Continuing his remarks, Dar condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza: “Israel has shown a reckless disregard for international norms and humanity through its relentless and disproportionate use of force in Gaza, resulting in the death of tens of thousands of civilians causing the worst humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”
He reiterated support for the two-state solution: “The only viable remedy to the Palestine dispute is the realisation of a two-state solution… with Al Quds as its capital.”
