Honourable Chairman of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers, Mr. Murat Nurtleu,

Excellencies, Foreign Ministers of SCO Member States,
The Secretary General of SCO and the Director Executive Committee of SCO-RATS,
Distinguished colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,

Assalam-o-alaikum, and Good Afternoon!
 
At the outset, let me convey our heartfelt condolences on the very sad and tragic demise of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other high-ranking officials of Iran.

Pakistan stands in solidarity with the Iranian nation in this hour of grief. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Iran, and the families of martyred.

President Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein were esteemed leaders and statesmen, whose contributions to their country reinforcing Pakistan-Iran relations and regional cooperation will always be remembered.

May their souls rest in eternal peace in Jannat.

Today, I am honored to represent Pakistan in this important meeting of SCO Council of Foreign Ministers. That this meeting is taking place in the beautiful city of Astana, makes this task even more pleasurable.

SCO is an important regional forum, members of which not only share common aspirations for peace, security and development but are also bound together by shared values, cultural, historical and civilizational ties. For us, SCO is an organic and natural association of countries. Hence, cooperation with SCO countries is a high priority for Pakistan.

Pakistan joins SCO countries in reiterating the centrality of the Shanghai Spirit and the indispensability of the core principles and standards of international law in conducting international relations. Only through pursuit of these laudable values can we achieve the objectives of shared development, lasting peace, and prosperity for our peoples.

Excellencies,​

Competition between the old and emerging powers is reshaping the contours of contemporary international relations leading to new military and political blocs. Tensions between these global powers is also favouring geo-politics at the cost of geo-economics. We believe that this is an unhealthy competition at the cost of neglecting far greater challenges confronting mankind.

Such cooperation can only be achieved through a more representative, democratic, just, and multipolar world order firmly grounded in multilateralism. To this end, we welcome the SCO initiative on World Unity for Just Peace and Harmony as well as Global Development and Global Security initiatives, which strive to create a just political and economic international order to promote a shared future for mankind.

Excellencies,​

SCO’s increasing influence and relevance is confirmed by its growing appeal among countries who want to join as Member, Observer or Dialogue partners. In this context, I congratulate Belarus, set to become the newest member of the SCO family in the upcoming Summit in July this year.

Given the need for strengthening the SCO structures as per the needs of the time and to aptly address the contemporary challenges, Pakistan fully supports and would remain constructively engaged with the ongoing reform process. The reform process must enhance the monitoring and implementation capacities of SCO to track progress in the security and economic fields. It must also include English as the third official and working language and strengthen the capacity / role of the Secretariat to enhance the efficiency of our organization.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Both the UN and SCO Charters aptly call for peaceful settlement of outstanding disputes. Unilateral and illegal measures to change the status of disputed territories in violation of UN Security Council resolutions must be strongly condemned and opposed by all.

Palestine is an apt illustration. Over 35,000 Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children, have been killed and over two million have been displaced by Israel’s indiscriminate bombing in Gaza. SCO must outrightly denounce this barbaric act and call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire before the flames of this conflict engulf other regions. The only viable remedy to this dispute is the realization of the two-State solution which includes the establishment of Palestine as a viable, secure and contiguous State on the basis of pre-1967 borders with Al Quds Al Sharif as its capital.

We must also oppose divisive policies based on prejudice and discrimination. Incitement to hatred and discrimination based on race and religion, in particular the surge in Islamophobia, run counter to humanity and are universally outlawed. It is our collective duty to fight against fascism and historical revisionism that are leading to violent ultra-nationalism as well as to ensure that fundamental human rights and freedoms are guaranteed to all.

Excellencies,

Terrorism is the common concern of humanity that threatens the global security. All forms of terrorism including state terrorism must be squarely condemned. The need of the hour is to shun myopic and self-serving interests to use the mantra of terrorism for political gain, and to combat this menace through a collective and cooperative approach including addressing its root causes. We would remain constructively engaged with the various proposals to strengthen SCO Regional Antiterrorism Structure (RATS) to address the growing threats to peace and security in the region.  

Achieving lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan is a lynchpin to this common objective. While we call on the international community to meaningfully engage with the Interim Afghan Government to help them meet their genuine economic and development needs and to address the humanitarian situation in the country, we also urge the IAG to take concrete and effective measures to ensure its soil is not used for terrorism against any country, and to adhere to the universally accepted principles of political inclusivity and respect for the rights of all Afghans including women and girls. We may also revive the SCO Afghanistan Contact Group to provide a platform for practical cooperation.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

SCO is a vital platform for forging closer synergy with regional partners and realizing the benefits of the emerging confluence between the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Eurasian Economic Union. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, the flagship project of BRI not only supplements SCO’s vision of regional connectivity and economic integration but also complements our common objective of regional peace and prosperity.

We need to expand on such initiatives in the SCO region to create new avenues for trade and development. Similarly, we must also promote the use of national currencies for mutual settlement within SCO region that would help member countries to avoid international financial shocks. Pakistan also supports the proposal to create an SCO alternative development funding mechanism to give needed impetus to various stalled development initiatives.

Despite progress on many fronts, poverty remains one of the most serious challenges for SCO countries. With an overwhelming majority of poor people within our borders, we are duty bound to synergize our efforts to alleviate poverty from the SCO region. As the permanent chair of SCO Special Working Group to Combat Poverty, Pakistan will do its utmost to provide the required impetus to our collective efforts in raising the living standards of people of SCO region. We have already conducted its inaugural session and would soon announce its second session in coordination with Member States.

We must also collectively address the existential threat of climate change, which is directly contributing to increased frequency of humanitarian emergencies across the globe. Failure to commit ourselves seriously will endanger the future of our planet. As agreed, developed countries must fulfill their commitments to provide adequate finances, technology and capacity building assistance in accordance with the principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR).

Excellencies,

Last October, Pakistan assumed the Chair of SCO-CHG. We have already proposed to hold the next meeting of CHG in Islamabad on 15-16 October this year. We thank those Member States who have confirmed these dates and their participation and request others to do the same at their earliest convenience. We are looking forward to hosting all respected SCO leaders in Islamabad.

In addition to its own initiatives announced during the last CHG, Pakistan in its capacity as the CHG Chair will endeavor to accommodate all forward-looking initiatives that promote development of the SCO region. To this end we look forward to the active and positive collaboration of all Member States.

I would like to commend the hard work and dedication of our National Coordinators and experts in various formats, who helped in finalizing the documents and decisions that will be adopted or signed today. To this end, I also acknowledge the efficient work done by the Secretariat under the able leadership of the Secretary General Mr. Zhang Ming.

To conclude, I reaffirm Pakistan’s commitment to working together to promote and strengthen SCO as an effective forum for regional development in line with the laudable values of the Shanghai Spirit for achieving our common objectives of peace, prosperity, stability and connectivity of the SCO region.

I thank you for your kind attention.

Astana

21 May 2024