FM Qureshi in Dushanbe to attend SCO meeting

DUSHANBE: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi arrived in the Tajik capital Monday to represent Pakistan at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), amid key changes in the region taking place with the Afghan Taliban taking hold of more and more of Afghanistan's territory with each passing day.

FM Qureshi is in Dushanbe to attend the SCO Foreign Ministers Council. During the three-day visit, the Pakistani foreign minister will speak at the ministerial council and attend meetings of SCO foreign ministers contact group on Afghanistan.

In the meetings, the foreign minister will "reiterate Pakistan's stance on the Afghan peace process, the changing regional situation and promotion of regional cooperation," a press release said.

FM Qureshi is expected to hold meetings with his counterparts from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Russia and China, during the sidelines of the SCO. Bilateral and regional ties, besides issues of mutual interests will be discussed during these meetings.

During his stay, Foreign Minister Qureshi will also meet the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon.

It is expected that the foreign minister's visit would be helpful in enhancing the Afghan peace process, focusing on a joint approach over the regional security situation and promoting diverse cooperation among the SCO member states, said a report in The News. The Dushanbe summit will consider several important documents for subsequent adoption in the SCO Council of Heads of State in September this year, stated Radio Pakistan.