Dar, Chinese FM discuss bilateral relations on the sidelines of SCO summit

Vice Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Council of Foreign Ministers (SCO-CFM) meeting in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan, to exchange views on bilateral relations, regional developments and cooperation within multilateral forums.

According to a post on X by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), Foreign Minister Dar and his Chinese counterpart “had a warm and productive exchange of views.” The former also thanked Yi for “appreciating Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts for regional peace and stability, as highlighted during his remarks at the SCO CFM.”

Yi also “conveyed his best wishes to Pakistan for its upcoming presidency of the SCO Council of Heads of State and the holding of the SCO summit in 2027,” the foreign ministry said.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Dar visited the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Sadyr Nurgozhoevich Zhaparov, to discuss regional and global developments, as well as the changing role of the SCO as an important platform for cooperation.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Minister Dar met Zhaparov at his state residence in Cholpon-Ata, “conveying to him the warm greetings of President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.”

The foreign minister “thanked President Zhaparov for the kind hospitality provided during the meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers,” the Foreign Ministry said.

Foreign Minister Dar also “underlined the importance of continued collaboration among SCO Member States as Pakistan prepares to take over the SCO presidency for 2026-27.”

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Foreign Minister Dar left for the Kyrgyz Republic yesterday to attend the meeting after concluding a visit to Manila. According to MoFA, Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Zheenbek Kulubaev invited Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Zheenbek Kulubaev, who led the Pakistani delegation to the SCO-CFM meeting scheduled for July 23-24.

Foreign ministers of SCO member states including Pakistan, China, Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan would participate in the CFM meeting, the Foreign Ministry announced.

Read: Why has the ceasefire memorandum between Iran and the United States frayed?

The CFM is the third most important forum in SCO format. It focuses on issues of international relations, as well as foreign and security policies of the SCO.

Foreign Minister Dar yesterday participated in the 33rd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) ministerial meeting in Manila, Philippines, before leaving for Cholpon-Ata in the Kyrgyz Republic.

He also held a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov ahead of the ARF ministerial meeting and “reviewed bilateral relations between Pakistan and Russia and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen cooperation in trade, energy, connectivity and other key areas, as well as enhance coordination in multilateral forums,” the Foreign Ministry said.

At the ARF meeting, Foreign Minister Dar urged the international community not to allow recent diplomatic gains in the Gulf to be squandered, saying “we must not let this opportunity slip through our fingers,” and called for sustained dialogue to ensure lasting peace, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Addressing the meeting, Foreign Minister Dar said the recent developments in the Gulf had affected countries across the region and emphasized that Pakistan had done “everything within its capacity” to help restore peace and stability.

“We cannot afford to ignore these developments,” he said.