Welcome remarks for the Foreign Secretary on the occasion of Dinner hosted by Foreign Secretary in the honour of the participants of Pabbi Anti-Terror 2021 – JATE Military Exercise
Maj Gen Jumakhon Fayyozovich Giyosov, Director SCO RATS
Distinguished Guests,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to Pakistan and to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We are especially delighted to receive our distinguished guests from the SCO member states, observer countries, and dialogue partners as well as the representatives of the international organizations to Pakistan.
The SCO region comprises of nations with ancient history, rich culture, proud traditions, and enterprising people. We are bound together not only by geography but also by historical, cultural and economic linkages. The region is home to one of the oldest and greatest civilizations in the history of mankind and we are enormously proud of this heritage. The spectrum of different languages, faith and historical perspectives within SCO makes it a diverse and multi-dimensional entity.
Distinguished guests,
Pakistan attaches great importance to the work of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. We believe it is a leading platform to foster enhanced cooperation among the member states and to unlock the immense potential of our region, home to over one-third of humanity.
SCO’s focus on regional security and stability is also exemplary. Through standalone mechanisms like SCO-RATS, the Organization pools in expertise, resources and experiences from all member states to collectively fight the three evils of terrorism, separatism and extremism. At the same time, it helps the member states strengthen their own domestic security regimes in line with the regional and international best practices.
As our region is undergoing monumental changes, the challenges in the realm of peace and security have become more complex. While we are all striving to preserve stability in the region, we must not remain oblivious to the emerging dangers.
Peace demands constant engagement, vigilance, cooperation and commitment. No country in the region will be able to wage this necessary struggle alone. It is, therefore, imperative that we effectively employ the existing channels of cooperation and explore new ways of working towards the ultimate common objectives of enduring peace and sustained development.
Distinguished guests,
As the host country for JATE this year, Pakistan decided to enhance the scope by initiating the mechanism of joint counter-terrorism exercises among SCO member states so that we can all learn from each other’s experiences, and enhance our operational capabilities related to counter terrorism.
We are pleased that the contingent from the Peoples Republic of China has physically participated in the second stage of JATE along with our security forces. Both contingents would have gained invaluable experience from this joint venture.
We are hopeful that this initiative of joint counter-terrorism exercises under the SCO umbrella will become a permanent feature in the coming years.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Pakistan is committed to remain a major, proactive, reliable and willing partner of the international community in the fight against terrorism and extremism. We will always play a leading role within the SCO, and elsewhere, to work for the peace and stability of our region and beyond.
This abiding resolve is founded on unmatched sacrifices that our nation has rendered for the cause of peace. Outside active conflict zones, no other country has sacrificed more for peace than Pakistan. We have waged this heroic struggle, while enduring more than 80,000 casualties and economic losses in excess of US $150 billion.
Our success story to counter terrorism and extremism is widely acknowledged by the international community. We are willing to share our experience with the rest of the world and remain ready to forge closer cooperation to fight common threats.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Pakistan stands for peace and is striving to maintain security and stability in our region. We are confident that we can multiply the dividends of our efforts through mutual cooperation from the platform of SCO-RATS. Availing myself of this opportunity, I would like to recognize that we see SCO and SCO-RATS playing even bigger role in future towards realizing our common and shared goals of peace, security and prosperity in the region and beyond.
In closing, I would like to once again thank all participants and distinguished guests for visiting Pakistan and taking part in the closing ceremony of the Pabbi Anti-Terror Exercise 2021.
I thank you all.