Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani has expressed Pakistan's firm commitment to remain a strong partner in all endeavors for peace, stability and development of the region and beyond.

FM Jilani said this while speaking at the inauguration of the ASEAN Corner at Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad on Monday.

Jilani said a peaceful and stable Asia Pacific is a priority for Pakistan and it stands ready to work with the ASEAN member states for confidence building and conflict prevention.

Jalil Abbas Jilani said that being the proponent of multilateralism, Pakistan believes that a recommitment to the fundamental principles of the UN charter is the need of the hour. It is important that we reaffirm our support for an international order based on peaceful coexistence, amicable settlements of disputes, win-win cooperation and shared prosperity. He said there is a need to avoid bloc politics and geo political constructs.

He said Pakistan wants to work with all countries on the basis of mutual benefit and mutual respect and trust. He said it is the most prudent way to leverage our strengths to the advantage of our peoples. He said Pakistan is a proponent and beneficiary of regional cooperation and connectivity. The CPEC is a physical manifestation of our belief in the idea of regional connectivity, he added.

He said it is a pity that SAARC, which was established exactly on the same line as ASEAN, despite its immense potential has fallen victim to Indian intransigence. He however said Pakistan remains focused on deepening its relationship with various regions and organizations including ASEAN.

He said Pakistan has very special relationship with many ASEAN member states which are deeply rooted in culture, religion and history.

He said both Pakistan and the South East Asia face common challenges including climate change, pandemic, terrorism, Islamophobia, migration from conflict zones and cyber security. He stressed for evolving common solutions to tackle mutual concerns.

Jilani to attend SCO meeting

Foreign Minister Jilani will lead the Pakistani delegation to the 22^nd  meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (CHG) on October 26.

The foreign minister’s visit is taking place at the invitation of the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic Akylbek Japarov.

The CHG Meeting will be attended by the Heads of Government of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, the Vice-President of Iran, and Foreign Ministers of Pakistan and India. SCO observer states including Belarus and Mongolia as well as guest state Turkmenistan will also attend the meeting.

The CHG is the second-highest forum in SCO. It focuses primarily on the areas of economy, finance, commerce, and socio-economic cooperation. On 26 October 2023, Pakistan will assume the Chair of CHG SCO.

The foreign minister will also hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the CHG Meeting.

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Foreign Minister’s Participation in the twenty-second Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)

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— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) October 23, 2023