Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar met with President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China on Tuesday, representing Pakistan during a joint call of the foreign ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states.
The SCO, a 10-member Eurasian political and security alliance, includes China, Russia, Pakistan, India, and Iran among its key members. The foreign ministers’ meeting serves as a precursor to the annual leaders’ summit, which China is set to host in Tianjin this autumn.
Sharing his reflections on X (formerly Twitter), Foreign Minister Dar expressed his delight at meeting President Xi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing ahead of the SCO gathering. He conveyed warm greetings from the leadership, government, and people of Pakistan.
“As iron-clad brothers and all-weather strategic cooperative partners, we remain committed to deepening the enduring Pak-China friendship and advancing shared regional objectives,” he stated.
President Xi, in his address to the visiting delegations, emphasized the importance of enhanced regional cooperation under the SCO framework, according to a statement from Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).
Following the meeting in Beijing, Foreign Minister Dar proceeded to Tianjin along with other SCO foreign ministers to lead Pakistan’s delegation at the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers’ meeting. He had arrived in Beijing the previous night, where he was received by Ambassador Yu Hong from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of Asian Affairs, as well as Pakistan’s Ambassador to China, Khalil ur Rehman Hashmi, and senior Chinese officials.
Among the notable foreign ministers in attendance were India’s Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Russia’s Sergei Lavrov, and Iran’s Abbas Araghchi.
On the sidelines of the SCO engagements, Foreign Minister Dar also held bilateral meetings with the foreign ministers of several SCO member states. Commenting on these interactions via X, he noted, “Always good to exchange views for strengthening regional understanding and cooperation in such a challenging time.”
He met with his counterparts from Iran, Uzbekistan, and Belarus, exchanging perspectives on regional issues and mutual cooperation. In separate meetings with Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu and Kyrgyzstan’s Zheenbek Moldokanovic, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral ties and expanding cooperation in mutually beneficial areas.
According to MoFA, Dar is scheduled to continue holding bilateral meetings with foreign ministers of SCO member states during his stay in China.
