SCO Summit in Islamabad: Economic Cooperation at Center of Organization’s Commitments

The world is in a historic moment of transition, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization has not only the potential but also the collective will to build a more prosperous, stable, and secure future

Shehbaz Sharif

Strengthening economic cooperation is “at the heart” of the commitment made by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO), the influential international group, which held the 23rd Heads of Government Forum in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.

According to Shehbaz Sharif (pictured), Prime Minister of Pakistan and Acting President of the SCO, “the participants of the meeting analyzed both the acceleration of cooperation and ways to attract investment in regional infrastructure, particularly in the transport and energy sectors necessary to promote economic integration among the countries of the Organization.”

The Pakistani Prime Minister also emphasized that this year is a “historic moment of transition,” and that the SCO has “not only the potential but also the collective will to build a more prosperous, stable, and secure future.” Many SCO countries also participate in the BRICS group, which shares the same ideals and is actively working in the same direction. BRICS leaders, joined by more than 30 heads of state and government from around the world, will gather in Kazan, Russia, on October 22-24 for the 10-nation group’s annual summit, which could expand to Turkey next week.

“In 2024, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization,” Sharif stressed, “thanks to the joint efforts of all member states, is recording progress on various fronts, but it is important to move to real action, through coordinated implementation, strengthening cooperation in vital sectors of trade and economy.

The SCO meeting in Islamabad ended with a joint statement that did not contain any particularly important positions. The heads of delegations of the participating countries – Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan – confirmed that they “intend to further develop cooperation in the areas of politics and security, trade, economy, finance and investment, and cultural and humanitarian ties, as well as cooperation with other multilateral organizations.”