DUSHANBE: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi arrived in the Tajik capital on Monday to represent Pakistan at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), amidst the significant changes in the region, with the Afghan Taliban gaining control of more and more Afghan territory with each passing day.
The SCO Foreign Ministers Council is being held in Dushanbe, and FM Qureshi is in attendance. The Pakistani foreign minister will speak at the ministerial council and attend meetings of the SCO foreign ministers contact group on Afghanistan during his three-day visit.
According to the press release the foreign minister in the meetings will “reiterate Pakistan’s stance on the Afghan peace process, the changing regional situation and promotion of regional cooperation.”
On the sidelines of the SCO, FM Qureshi is expected to meet with his counterparts from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Russia, and China.
During these meetings, bilateral and regional ties, as well as issues of mutual interest, will be discussed.
Foreign Minister Qureshi will also meet Tajikistan’s President, Emomali Rahmon.
The foreign minister’s visit is expected to aid the Afghan peace process by focusing on a shared approach to the regional security situation and promoting diverse cooperation among SCO member states.
According to Radio Pakistan, the Dushanbe summit will consider several important documents for adoption at the SCO Council of Heads of State in September this year.