Islamabad (Web Desk/Agencies): The formal proceedings of the 23rd meeting of the Council of the Heads of Government (CHG) of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) started on Wednesday with a galaxy of regional leaders in attendance to discuss multisectoral cooperation.
Being held at the Jinnah Convention Centre, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is chairing the session as the current chair of the Council.
The CHG meeting will discuss ongoing cooperation in economy, trade, environment, and socio-cultural linkages. The participating leaders will also adopt important organizational decisions to further enhance cooperation among SCO member states and approve the budget of the Organization.
Before the start of the proceedings, Prime Minister Shehbaz warmly received the participating leaders at the venue before posing for a group photo.
The leaders from the SCO member states attending the summit include China’s Premier of the State Council Li Qiang, Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Tajik Prime Minister Kohir Rasulzoda, Uzbek Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, Kyrgyzstan’s Chairman of Ministers’ Cabinet Zhaparov Akylbek, Trade Minister of Iran Seyyed Mohammad Atabek, and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
Besides, Mongolia is participating in the summit as an Observer State being represented by Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai and Turkmenistan as a Special Guest represented by Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Rashid Meredov.
Among other dignitaries attending the moot include SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming, Director of Executive Committee SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) Ruslan Mirzayev, Chairman of the Board of SCO Business Council Atif Ikram Shaikh and Chairman of the Council of SCO Interbank Union Marat Yelibayev.
Having joined the SCO in 2017, Pakistan assumed the rotating chair of the SCO CHG for 2023-24 at its previous meeting held in Bishkek on October 26, 2023.