ASTANA: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Tuesday addressed the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) wherein he reiterated Pakistan’s firm adherence to the SCO Charter and the Shanghai Spirit that stands for mutual trust and respect for shared prosperity. In his statement, the deputy prime minister warned against bloc-based or confrontational geopolitics and advocated for a multipolar world firmly grounded in multilateralism.
He explained Pakistan’s priorities as the current Chair of the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) which included promoting connectivity, transport links, youth empowerment, poverty alleviation and enhanced practical cooperation among SCO member states.
He called for upholding international law and the UN Charter, emphasizing the people’s right to self-determination and peaceful settlement of longstanding disputes in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
He also stressed the need to combat terrorism through collective and cooperative approaches including by addressing its root causes. Dar urged the rejection of myopic and self-serving interests to use the mantra of terrorism for political gains.Strongly condemning the barbaric Israeli onslaught in Gaza, which had resulted in the killings of over 35,000 innocent civilians, mostly women and children, the foreign minister reiterated Pakistan’s firm call for an unconditional and urgent ceasefire and unhindered provision of humanitarian assistance. He also emphasized the need to realize the two-state solution for durable peace and stability.
On the Afghan situation, the deputy prime minister called on the international community to meaningfully engage with the Interim Afghan Government (IAG) for the genuine economic and development needs of Afghanistan and urged the IAG to ensure that Afghan soil was not used for terrorism against any country.
The deputy prime minister said that Pakistan’s geostrategic location offered an ideal trade and transit hub for the SCO region, and underlined the significance of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor for regional connectivity and economic integration.
Highlighting climate change, the deputy prime minister called for collective efforts to address the challenge as any failure to do so would put global security at stake. He said despite contributing less than one percent of the global emissions, Pakistan suffered huge economic and life due to climate change-induced floods which necessitated the capacity building of developing countries.
Dar told the gathering that Pakistan fully supported the reform process in the SCO which should also feature an enhanced motoring and implementation capacity in the security and economic field.
Earlier, he started his remarks with condolence over the sad demise of Iranian President Dr Ebrahim Raisi, the Iranian foreign minister and others and sympathised with the bereaved families and the Iranian people. He also paid tribute to their services for the promotion of regional cooperation and reinforcement of Pak-Iran relationships.
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