ASTANA: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to working together with other member nations to strengthen the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as an active and integrated regional forum to achieve common objectives of peace and prosperity. Addressing the SCO Summit in Astana, on Thursday, he said the SCO, with its enormous human and socio-economic potential, represents a promising future.
Afghanistan
Shehbaz Sharif stressed the need for peace and stability in Afghanistan. He added that the world must engage meaningfully with the interim Afghan government to help them in their genuine economic and development needs. The PM said that the interim Afghan government should take concrete and effectives measures to ensure its soil is not used for terrorism by any entity against other nations.
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The PM said terrorism and extremism whether committed by groups, or states must be fought collectively in a comprehensive way.
He said that they must ensure respect to the universally recognized principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and people’s fundamental right to self-determination. He stated that the UNSC resolutions offer a workable framework to address longstanding disputes including those in the region. He said failure to implement the UN resolutions speedily and amicably have brought unimaginable sufferings to the people in the region.
CPEC and Regional Connectivity
Referring to the repeated affirmation to invest in the connectivity of SCO region through efficient transport corridors and reliable supply chains, he stated it is time to put these words into action. Shehbaz Sharif pointed out that Islamabad’s location makes it an ideal trade conduit for the entire region. China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship project of Belt and Road initiative, supplements SCO’s vision for regional connectivity and economic interaction, the Prime Minister remarked.
The PM also emphasized the need for promoting the use of national currencies for mutual settlement within the SCO region adding this can help avoid global financial shocks. He stated that Pakistan supports the proposal to develop an SCO alternative development funding mechanism to give the needed impetus to many stalled development initiatives.
Gaza
Expressing serious concerns over the Israeli atrocities against Palestinian people, Shehbaz Sharif urged the SCO to out-rightly condemn the Israeli barbaric actions and call for an immediate and unconditional truce leading to the execution of two states solution which includes the establishment of Palestine as a viable, secure and contiguous state on the ground of pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al Sharif as its capital.
The Prime Minister expressed deep regret over the surge in Islamophobia, saying this runs counter to humanity and must be universally outlawed.
SCO summit being held at the Independence Palace, the summit is being attended by leaders from China, Pakistan, Russia, Turkiye, Tajikistan, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, India and others. Earlier, Shehbaz Sharif was received by President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at Independence Palace.
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