Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will travel to Tianjin, China, tomorrow for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers, state media outlet Radio Pakistan reported on Sunday.
The SCO is a 10-nation Eurasian security and political grouping whose members include China, Russia, Pakistan, India, and Iran. Their foreign ministers’ meeting was held as a precursor to the annual summit of its leaders set for the autumn.
According to the report, the top diplomats from Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will also attend the event.
“The upcoming Council of Heads of State will take place on August 31 and September 1 in Tianjin, China,” Radio Pakistan reported.
“At the invitation of the Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan Ishaq Dar will lead the Pakistan delegation to the meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers,” the Foreign Office (FO) said.
The CFM is the third-highest forum in the SCO format. It focuses on the issues of international relations, as well as the foreign and security policies of the organisation, the FO said.
The press release added that the forum approves the documents, including declarations and statements that are to be presented for the consideration of the Council of Heads of State (CHS), as well as the decisions to be adopted by the CHS.
“The upcoming CHS will take place from August 31 to September 1 in Tianjin, China,” the FO said.
The FO also reported that Dar spoke with Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov today and discussed progress on the Framework Agreement on Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan (UAP) Railway Project.
“Both leaders also agreed to meet again at the sidelines of the upcoming SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Tianjin, China,” the FO added.
Pakistan is heading into the meeting amid heightened tensions with India.
India blamed Pakistan for the April 22 Pahalgam attack without evidence, triggering a military escalation. On May 6–7, New Delhi launched air strikes that killed civilians, followed by a week-long missile exchange. A US-brokered ceasefire ended the fighting.
Last month, the SCO’s meeting of defence ministers failed to reach a consensus on a joint statement due to India’s refusal, while Defence Minister Khawaja Asif reaffirmed the country’s commitment to combating terrorism and promoting regional peace and security within the body’s framework.