SCO Heads of Government Council meet in Islamabad

The SCO summit will open on October 16 in Islamabad. Its participants plan to discuss new challenges and prospects against the backdrop of global conflicts.

A delegation of the Belarusian government is on a working visit to Pakistan. The agenda includes economic, trade and socio-cultural issues, as well as the approval of the organization's budget. In anticipation of tomorrow's meeting on October 15, there was an opportunity to discuss bilateral cooperation with partners.

Long before the Council, this meeting of the heads of government of the SCO countries was called an important milestone in Pakistan's foreign policy. The event is large-scale, given the weight of the entire organization: 10 countries from Southeast Asia to the Middle East and Europe. A third of the world's GDP, and almost half the planet's inhabitants. Therefore, the voice of the SCO is now heard throughout the world. This is the first time Belarus is at the Council as a full member of the association.

We joined the SCO in July at the summit in Astana. And we have been participating in the meetings since 2010 as a dialogue partner, and since 2015 as an observer. The decision to be with the large family of the organization is well-considered, and the partners have the same views on the main issues of the world order. Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, India, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Iran, Uzbekistan and Belarus. Here is the full list of participants. Each country is represented by a prime minister at the Council. Only India has a Foreign Ministry, and the Iranian delegation is headed by the Minister of Industry. Islamabad itself is preparing for the Council meticulously. Security measures have been increased. In addition, since yesterday it has been a weekend here, all educational and government institutions are closed until Wednesday inclusive. The city lives only for this event.

The agenda of the meeting includes issues from trade to humanitarian cooperation

The Council meeting opens on October 16.

The range of issues is wide. The countries will define priority tasks for deepening trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian cooperation. Particular attention will be paid to the comprehensive modernization of the association in connection with the new geopolitical realities. They will also approve the budget, updated taking into account Belarus.