Pakistan has called for the establishment of SCO Development Fund as well as SCO Development Bank and emphasised on finalisation of proposals for trade in local currencies among the member states. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi placed these proposals among others before the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers on Wednesday while addressing his counterparts from member states in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
The two-day meeting [May 21-22] brought together foreign ministers from the member states, including Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj, who, according to the photos and videos, released to media by the media team of Foreign Office, were seen sitting next to each other during the meeting.
Foreign Office sources said that there was no meeting scheduled between Foreign Minister Qureshi and his Indian counterpart Swaraj. However, some media reports claimed that the two had a brief informal chat but it could not be confirmed from the Foreign Office.
Contrary to that, Sushma was seen changing her place while noticing that Qureshi was standing next to her when the leaders were posing for a group photograph.
Earlier, addressing the SCO foreign ministers, Foreign Minister Qureshi, in a veiled reference to Indian atrocities in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, condemned the state terrorism against people under ''illegal occupation''. "Terrorism is the bane of our times. We condemn it in all forms and manifestations including state terrorism against people under illegal occupation," he stated.
He appreciated the practical cooperation taking place on the matter under the SCO regional anti-terrorist structure. The foreign minister also offered to share Pakistan''s experience with member states in fight against terrorism, saying that as one of the few countries to have successfully fought and reversed the tide of terrorism and extremism, Pakistan stands ready to share its experience and expertise with friends in SCO through the structure.
To help sustain the SCO''s high momentum, Qureshi also presented a seven-point agenda, calling for expanding the scope of SCO institutional framework to include alternate dispute resolution and confidence building mechanisms among member states.