Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to working together with other member states to strengthen SCO as an active and integrated regional forum to achieve common objectives of peace and prosperity.
Addressing the SCO Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan today, he said the SCO, with its enormous human and socio economic potential, represents a promising future. As leaders, he said it is our responsibility to rise above partisan geopolitics and join hands to secure a peaceful and prosperous future for our peoples.
Alluding to the repeated avowal to invest in the connectivity of SCO region through efficient transport corridors and reliable supply chains, he said it is time to put these words into action.
The PM pointed out that Pakistan’s location makes it an ideal trade conduit for the entire region. CPEC, the flagship project of Belt and Road initiative, supplements SCO’s vision for regional connectivity and economic interaction.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also emphasized the need for promoting the use of national currencies for mutual settlement within the SCO region saying this can help avoid international financial shocks. He said Pakistan supports the proposal to create an SCO alternative development funding mechanism to give the needed impetus to various stalled development initiatives.
Welcoming the SCO agreement on environment protection, Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan remains committed to working for a sustainable and nature-positive world.
The Prime Minister stressed the need for peace and stability in Afghanistan. He said the international community must engage meaningfully with the interim Afghan government to help them in their genuine economic and development needs. He said the interim Afghan government must take concrete and effectives measures to ensure its soil is not used for terrorism by any entity against other states.
