ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Sunday his country was interested in working with other members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) while pointing out the immense intraregional trade potential among SCO countries.
The prime minister made the observation during his interaction with the organization’s secretary general, Zhang Ming, in Lahore.
The SCO is an eight-member transregional multilateral organization that seeks to help member nations pursue their shared development objectives. In the two decades since its formation, the SCO has become a major international platform representing 41 percent of the world population with a 23 percent share in the global GDP.
The prime minister reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to the principles of the organization, saying the SCO could play a major role in strengthening international solidarity and cooperation at a time of global challenges.
“Pakistan is keen to work with other SCO member-countries for the promotion of cooperation in the fields of trade & economy, connectivity & communication, energy & agriculture, climate change & information technology,” he said in a Twitter post. “There is a massive scope for intra-SCO trade.”
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, the SCO secretary general lauded Pakistan’s contributions to the organization’s work and activities across various domains.
He also invited the prime minister to attend the SCO summit in Samarkand in September 2022.
Sharif said he looked forward to participating in the summit.
