ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will depart on Wednes­­day for Moscow to attend a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of Shanghai Coopera­tion Organisa­tion (SCO).

The meeting is being held from Sept 9 to 10 to prepare the agenda for the next summit. Mr Qureshi would hold bilateral interactions on the sidelines of the CFM meeting.

The CFM is one the top forums of the eight-member regional bloc that deliberates on important regional and international issues and considers documents for approval and adoption by the Council of Heads of State.

“The Moscow SCO-CFM will consider more than 20 documents for subsequent adoption in the SCO Council of Heads of State. It will also adopt a Joint Communiqué reflecting member states’ unified stance on important re­gio­nal and international issues,” the Foreign Office said.

“Pakistan has been ac­tive­ly contributing in work­ing towards achieving SCO’s multi-sectoral agenda thro­u­gh participation in various SCO mechanisms. SCO is an important forum for further enriching our deep-rooted historical and cultural links with member states, providing these ties a sound economic foundation, and promoting Pakistan as a regional trade and transit corridor,” it said.

“Major objectives of the organisation include promoting mutual confidence and good-neighborly relations among member states; strengthening regional peace, security and stability; and creating a framework for effective cooperation in political, cultural, trade and economy, science and technology, education, energy, transportation, tourism, environmental protection and other fields,” the FO added.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2020