-Shehbaz meets Russian, Uzbek, Tajik, Belarusian, Iranian Presidents on sidelines of SCO meeting
-Calls for full operationalisation of Pakistan-Uzbekistan transit, Preferential Trade Agreements
-Pakistan, Iran reaffirm desire to strengthen Trade, connectivity
TASHKENT: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday met Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Shangai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand where the Russian president expressed willingness to supply gas to Pakistan.
During the meeting, Putin said that pipeline gas supplies to Pakistan were possible and that part of the necessary infrastructure was already in place, Reuters quoted Russian state-owned news agency RIA as saying.
Earlier in the day, PM Shehbaz reached Samarkand to attend the annual meeting of the Council of Heads of State (CHS) of the SCO at the invitation of Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who is chairing the meeting. According to details, the premier also called on Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and discussed issues of mutual interest.
The meeting focused on strengthening Pak-Uzbek ties in diverse fields for the benefit of the two brotherly nations. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, and senior officials also attended the meeting. Prime Minister expressed Pakistan’s resolve for the timely completion of the important CASA-1000 power project, aimed at the transmission of electricity from the Central Asian state.
In a meeting with Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon on the sidelines of the SCO Heads of Council meeting in Samarkand, the two leaders held wide-ranging talks covering all aspects of the mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation including regional and international issues.
The prime minister emphasized the expansion of cooperation in the field of road transportation and underscored the importance of connectivity. He underlined Pakistan’s readiness to facilitate the provision of access to Gwadar and Karachi to Tajikistan.
President Rahmon extended profound sympathies and condolences over the loss of human lives and devastation caused by the floods in Pakistan and assured of Tajikistan’s full support in the efforts for relief and rehabilitation of the affected people.
PM Sharif thanked Tajikistan for its support to the flood-affected people in Pakistan and shared details of the devastation caused by the massive floods, induced by climate change. The prime minister expressed satisfaction over the growing political, trade, economic, and cultural cooperation between the two countries.
He underscored the need for a strategic partnership aimed at boosting security, mutual trust, countering the current global threats and challenges, enhancing regional stability, and expanding political, trade and economic cooperation.
Both leaders accorded particular focus on further strengthening of reliable and constructive high-level contacts, inter-parliamentary ties, defence and security relations between the two countries.
The prime minister underlined the importance of regular meetings of bilateral institutional mechanisms and establishment of mutually beneficial cooperation in the implementation of energy projects.
The leaders also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest and agreed to work together to strengthen peace, stability and security in the region, particularly in Afghanistan.
Prime Minister also met with Iranian President Seyed Ebrahim Raisi wherein both the countries agreed to further promote bilateral relations in diverse fields.
During the meeting, held on the sidelines of the annual Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of Shanghai Cooperation Organization being held here, both sides affirmed the desire to strengthen cooperation in economic, trade, connectivity, energy, culture and people-to-people links.
The two leaders exchanged views on the entire range of bilateral relations. Both the leaders positively evaluated the outcome of the Pakistan-Iran Joint Economic Commission and agreed to further promote bilateral relations in diverse fields.
The prime minister underscored the need for closer bilateral engagement for boosting economic and energy cooperation, operationalizing barter trade, opening border sustenance markets, and facilitation of Pakistani Zaireen.
It was agreed that Pakistan would be sending a delegation to discuss measures for expanded cooperation in bilateral trade and energy sectors.
Prime Minister Sharif extended his gratitude to President Raisi and to the people of Iran for their solidarity and support with the Pakistani nation during the massive floods in the country.
He highlighted the devastating impact of the floods caused by climate change, and underscored that Pakistan, with the least carbon emissions, was bearing the cost of something for which it was not responsible.
He stressed the importance of tangible international action to help address the challenges that climatically vulnerable countries like Pakistan were facing. The prime minister reiterated his invitation to President Raisi to visit Pakistan at the earliest convenience. President Raisi renewed his invitation to the prime minister to visit Iran.
Prime Minister also had a bilateral meeting with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko here on the sidelines of SCO Summit. The two leaders comprehensively reviewed the bilateral relationship and discussed regional and international issues.
The Prime Minister highlighted the massive human and material losses caused by the unprecedented floods in Pakistan and thanked President Lukashenko for his sympathies and condolences over the devastation caused.
Underscoring the rising threat of climate change to countries like Pakistan, he stressed the need to combat this menace through collective action at the global level.
While appreciating the broad framework of cooperation and mechanisms in place, the Prime Minister expressed his commitment towards increasing the momentum of bilateral collaboration in all fields including political, trade, investment and economic cooperation between Pakistan and Belarus.
The two sides also agreed to hold the next session of Pakistan-Belarus Joint Economic Commission (JEC) at the earliest, which could prove instrumental in enhancing bilateral trade and mutual cooperation in diverse areas.
The Prime Minister conveyed Pakistan’s support for Belarus’ full membership of SCO and expressed the confidence that this would further strengthen the Organization.
The Prime Minister while accepting the invitation by President Lukashenko to visit Belarus also extended an invitation to the President of Belarus to visit Pakistan.
In a tweet prior to his departure, the prime minister said Pakistan reiterated its commitment to the ‘Shanghai Spirit’. “Mutual respect and trust can be the bedrock of shared development and prosperity,” he posted on his Twitter handle.
He said the SCO had a great potential to chart a way forward at a time of deeply worrying transformation in the geo-political and geo-economic fields
“The global economic turbulence has necessitated the need for more cooperation among the SCO member countries. The SCO vision represents the aspirations of 40 per cent of the world population,” he said.
Leaders of the SCO member countries and observer states as well as heads of the SCO organisations and other special guests are also attending the meeting.
At the event, the SCO leaders will deliberate on important global and regional issues, including climate change, food and energy security, and sustainable supply chains.
They will also approve agreements and documents that will chart the future direction of cooperation among the SCO member states. Since becoming a full member of the SCO in 2017, Pakistan has actively been contributing to advancing the organisation’s core objectives by participating in various SCO mechanisms.
Executive director of the Centre for Global and Strategic Studies of Pakistan Khaled Akram said, “As unstable and uncertain factors are on the rise globally, the SCO needs to strengthen coordination in multilateral affairs and firmly uphold true multilateralism”.
Akram also said that “With the joint efforts of all countries, the summit will achieve a series of important consensus and outcomes, and give new impetus and direction to the SCO to achieve and greater development plans”. –Agencies
