Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday met with senior Russian and Chinese leadership at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of Government summit, according to the Foreign Office (FO).
The SCO is holding its Council of Heads of Government summit in Moscow from November 17 to 18. Taking place under Russia’s rotating presidency, the high-level meeting follows the landmark Tianjin summit three months earlier and comes at a pivotal moment for Eurasian economic connectivity in a shifting global order.
At the heads of government gathering, Dar met Russian President Vladimir Putin, along with other SCO heads of state and senior officials. In a post on X, the FO said that Putin welcomed leaders to the summit in the Russian capital.
He also “emphasised the importance of strengthening regional economic cooperation under the SCO, highlighting its role as a key platform for connectivity, stability, and mutually beneficial development across the region”.
Dar also met Chinese Premier Li Qiang, where the pair “reaffirmed the ‘all-weather’ Pakistan-China strategic partnership, reviewed bilateral and multilateral cooperation — especially within the SCO — and praised the Shanghai Spirit principles guiding regional collaboration”.
The post added that the FMs exchanged views on global issues and agreed to “maintain real-time engagement moving forward.”
Dar also had a bilateral meeting with Russian Deputy PM Alexei Overchuk on the sidelines of the summit, the FO said in another social media post.
“The two leaders undertook a substantive review of the full gamut of Pakistan–Russia relations, with a focus on strengthening cooperation across political, economic, energy, connectivity, agricultural, industrial, educational and people-to-people areas through institutionalised mechanisms,” the FO wrote.
“DPM Overchuk recalled his recent visits and noted Pakistan’s potential as a regional hub for transit and connectivity,” the post added. “Both leaders also exchanged views on key regional & global developments and reaffirmed their commitment to enhanced cooperation at bilateral and multilateral fora, including the UN and SCO.”
