ISLAMABAD: The Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Ambassador Zhang Ming, will visit Pakistan from 21-24 July, 2022. He will be heading a delegation comprising officials from the SCO Secretariat based in Beijing, according to a statement issued by the spokesperson for Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday.

During his stay, the Secretary General will have meetings with the Foreign Minister as well as Ministers of Commerce, Climate Change, Information Technology and Maritime Affairs. He will also speak at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) and engage with business leaders and entrepreneurs.

The SCO is a major trans-regional multilateral organization with 8 members including China and Russia. SCO countries are home to 41% of the global population and account for 23% of global GDP. The SCO provides an important platform for Pakistan to further strengthen its deep-rooted and historic ties with the member states and promote socio-economic cooperation for mutual benefit across diverse areas.

The visit of the SCO Secretary General will provide an opportunity for Pakistan to engage with the SCO Secretariat while highlighting its perspective and priorities for making SCO mechanisms more effective in advancing shared regional security and economic goals.