ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – India’s Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar arrived at the Noor Khan Airbase on Tuesday to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit being held here on Tuesday and Wednesday.
He was received at the airport by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs officers. Jaishankar reached Pakistan by a special plane from the capital New Delhi.
Jaishankar is the first Indian foreign minister who arrived in Pakistan after at 2015 visit of former foreign minister Sushma Swaraj.
Meanwhile, the prime minister of Belarus also arrived in Pakistan to attend the SCO conference, where Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar welcomed him.
PAKISTAN'S SUMMIT MOMENT
The two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit begins in the federal capital on Tuesday amid heightened security. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will preside over the main event.
The SCO member states will be represented by the prime ministers of China, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as well as the First Vice President of Iran and External Affairs Minister of India.
State Council of China premier Li Qiang represents his country. The prime minister of Mongolia as observer state, and deputy chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and foreign minister of Turkmenistan as special guest will participate in the meeting.
The SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting will discuss ongoing cooperation in fields of economy, trade, environment and sociocultural linkages, and review the performance of the organisation.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will also hold important bilateral meetings with the visiting heads of delegations on the sidelines of the summit.
The SCO summit is anticipated to serve as a key platform for fostering regional cooperation, bolstering trade and investment besides enhancing socioeconomic and cultural linkages among its member states.