Uzbekistan: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will address the heads of state of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to be held in the historic city of Samarkand on Friday.
The Prime Minister will highlight Pakistan’s position and perspective on regional cooperation, especially in the context of emerging global challenges.
He is also scheduled to meet other world leaders on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Kazakh President Kassym Jomart Tokayev.
At the end of his visit, the Prime Minister is expected to visit the shrine of Hazrat Imam Bukhari.
Prime Minister’s meeting with the President of Azerbaijan
The Prime Minister today met the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and discussed issues of mutual interest.
The meeting, held on the sidelines of the SCO moot, focused on ways to strengthen the relationship between the two countries in diverse fields.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail and other senior officials attended the meeting.
On Thursday, the Prime Minister met Russian President Vladimir Putin in a significant move that highlighted that both sides are keen to deepen their bilateral cooperation despite the regime change in Islamabad.
The meeting was significant given the fact that former Prime Minister Imran Khan had in April alleged a US-backed plot to push for closer ties with Moscow.
Shahbaz’s meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit indicates that Pakistan is not turning its back on Russia and is maintaining a delicate balance in its relations with Washington and Moscow.
A Pakistani official, who was part of the prime minister’s delegation, told The Express Tribune from Samarkand that the meeting was “warm, pleasant and constructive”.
The official, requesting anonymity, said there are several opportunities for both sides to deepen their cooperation.
On the first day in Samarkand, Prime Minister Shehbaz held several bilateral meetings in which another American rival, Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, was also included.
Back-to-back meetings with Washington’s adversaries – Russian and Iranian leaders – indicate that Pakistan is trying to maintain a balanced foreign policy.
Shahbaz, meanwhile, met Tajikistan President Imam Ali Rahman, Uzbekistan President Shaukat Mirziyoyev and Belarus President Alexander Grigorievich Lukashenko. He will also meet the presidents of China and Turkey.
