Qureshi to attend SCO ministers virtual meeting
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Foreign Office Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui on Wednesday said that Pakistan will participate in Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers meeting.
“Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi will participate in a virtual meeting of SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (SCO-CFM) today which will primarily focus on COVID-19 pandemic,” the spokesperson said in a statement issued in Islamabad.
The video conference will provide an opportunity to express solidarity and develop a united response to the COVID-19 Pandemic at the SCO level, the spokesperson said.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organization founded in Shanghai on 15 June 2001 by six countries, People's Republic of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
Pakistan and India joined SCO as full members on 9 June 2017 at a summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.
According to Indian media, India will also be participating in the SCO Foreign Ministers' meeting on Covid-19 on Wednesday at 1:30 pm IST. The video conference is being hosted by Russia. The initial remarks will be delivered by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be attending the conference to discuss the global challenges, preparedness, and response to the coronavirus pandemic.
"The ministers will discuss topical regional and global issues and particularly focus on developing cooperation within the SCO in the context of the spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), the upcoming 75th anniversary of the Victory in WWII and the 75th anniversary of the United Nations," Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.
"Other issues on the agenda include the preparations for the SCO summit in St Petersburg and other events as part of Russia's SCO Presidency," it added.
The grouping will share information on best practices and areas of cooperation to work on, particularly in the medicine, medical equipment, and pharmaceutical sector.
The SCO, as an organisation, covers three-fifths of the Eurasian continent and nearly half of the human population. The meeting will focus on how to contain the spread of the coronavirus.