What to Anticipate at the SCO CHG Summit Starting Today
Delegates from member and invited states arrive in Islamabad for two-day summit.
The two-day 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is set to commence today, with delegates from member and invited states arriving in the federal capital.
Taking place at the Jinnah Convention Center, this annual SCO CHG meeting—the second-highest forum within the organization—will be chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who currently holds the Council’s rotating chair for 2023-24. Pakistan assumed this chairmanship during the previous meeting in Bishkek on October 26, 2023.
Among the leaders attending the summit are Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of China; Roman Golovchenko, Prime Minister of Belarus; Olzhas Bektenov, Prime Minister of Kazakhstan; Mikhail Mishustin, Prime Minister of Russia; Kohir Rasulzoda, Prime Minister of Tajikistan; Abdulla Aripov, Prime Minister of Uzbekistan; Akylbek Zhaparov, Chairman of Kyrgyzstan’s Ministers’ Cabinet; Mohammad Reza Aref, First Vice President of Iran; and Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s External Affairs Minister.
Additionally, Mongolia is participating as an Observer State, represented by Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai, while Turkmenistan is a Special Guest represented by Rashid Meredov, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers.
Other notable attendees include SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming, Ruslan Mirzayev, Director of the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS), Atif Ikram Shaikh, Chairman of the SCO Business Council, and Marat Yelibayev, Chairman of the Council of the SCO Interbank Union.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will host a welcome dinner for the dignitaries on Tuesday evening. On Wednesday, regional leaders will gather at the Jinnah Convention Center to discuss ongoing cooperation in areas such as economy, trade, environment, and socio-cultural ties, as well as review the organization’s performance. They are also expected to make significant organizational decisions to strengthen cooperation among SCO member states and approve the organization’s budget.
The formal session will begin with welcoming remarks from Prime Minister Shehbaz, followed by statements from the attending leaders. After the signing of various documents, the prime minister will deliver his concluding remarks. Subsequently, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, alongside SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming, will provide media statements highlighting the summit’s outcomes.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz will also host an official luncheon for the participating leaders.
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Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch stated that hosting the CHG meeting underscores Pakistan’s ongoing commitment to the goals and principles outlined in the SCO Charter and the values of the Shanghai Spirit. Since joining the SCO in 2017, Pakistan has actively worked to foster good neighborly relations and mutually beneficial cooperation among member states.
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