Mamnoon heads to China to attend SCO moot

President Mamnoon Hussain will leave for China today (Saturday) to attend the 18th Meeting of the Council of the Heads of State (CHS) of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) at Qingdao from June 09-10, 2018, Foreign Office said on Friday.
According to a Foreign Office statement, the invitation to the President to attend the 18th meeting of CHS has been extended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who would chair the meeting. The meeting will be attended by the Heads of States of SCO member states, representatives of SCO observer states as well as representatives of international organizations including UN, CIS, ASEAN, IMF and the World Bank, it added.
On Thursday last, Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal told his weekly media briefing that the President would hold meetings at the sidelines of the Summit with leaders of the SCO member countries including his Chinese counterpart President Xi Jinping. However, he said that no such meeting is envisaged with Indian leadership on the sidelines the Summit.
The Qingdao Summit will mark a year since Pakistan joined the prestigious organization as a full member, the Foreign Office statement stated, adding that the Council of Heads of State is the highest decision-making forum of the SCO which meets annually and considers and defines strategy, prospects and priorities of the Organization.
The SCO is an established intergovernmental organization that aims to strengthen mutual confidence and good-neighborly relations, while promoting effective cooperation in the fields of politics, trade and economy, science and technology, culture, education, energy, transportation, tourism and environmental protection, among others. Besides Pakistan, its current membership comprises China, Russia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and India.
"Pakistan shares deep rooted historical and cultural affinities with member states of the SCO. Pakistan affords critical overland connectivity for trade and energy and supports SCO's efforts for regional integration through linking its flagship program of CPEC with the 6 land routes of the SCO," it stated, adding that Pakistan's membership has been facilitating further deepening and broadening of its multifaceted relations with individual member states and SCO region at large.
Since accession as member, it stated that Pakistan has been participating regularly in all SCO meetings and events. It took part in negotiations and finalization of more than twenty documents including the Qingdao Declaration, important decisions at the level of the Heads of State and agreements/MoUs under various cooperation mechanisms of the SCO. These documents are expected to be signed during the Summit, it added.
It also pointed out that Pakistan also participated in a number of ministerial level meetings of SCO member states including those of the ministers of foreign affairs, defense, law and justice, commerce, national security, culture, tourism and media, besides numerous senior officials meetings.
Pakistan has twice participated in the meeting of the chief justices/presidents of the supreme courts. From 23-25 May 2018, Pakistan hosted the Legal Experts Group Meeting of the SCO's Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure, marking the first occasion an SCO event was held in Pakistan.
Pakistan has also been actively participating in various cultural and sports events such as musical performances, film festivals, art exhibitions, youth exchanges and marathon under the SCO auspices. These multifaceted activities reflect the truly integrated and dynamic nature of the grouping.
While SCO has achieved significant progress in promoting economic, cultural and social wellbeing in member states, its contributions for peace and security in the region are also noteworthy. The SCO through its Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) has played a significant role in promoting peace, security and stability in the region.