Pak PM Sharif to attend virtual SCO summit on July 4

Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend next week’s virtual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) being hosted by India, an official announcement here said on Friday. At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Xi will attend via video-conference in Beijing the 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads meeting of the SCO on July 4 and deliver important remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a brief press release. This is the first official announcement about Xi’s participation in the SCO summit being hosted by India. The SCO is an influential economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations. The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017. India holds the rotating Presidency of the organisation this year. Ahead of the summit to be held for the first time under India’s Presidency, India on Tuesday inaugurated an exquisitely designed ‘New Delhi Hall’ at the SCO Secretariat in Beijing. Pak PM Sharif to attend virtual SCO summit on July 4 Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will participate in a virtual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on the invitation of his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on July 4, Pakistan’s foreign ministry announced on Friday. In a statement, it said Sharif’s participation in the summit illustrates the high importance that Pakistan attaches to the SCO, which is an important forum for regional security and prosperity, and enhanced engagement with the region. “Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will participate in the 23rd Meeting of SCO Council of Heads of State (CHS) being held in video conference format on 4th July 2023,” it said.