Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister (DPM/FM), Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, on Tuesday called on President Vladimir Putin along with other Heads of Government Delegations of SCO Member States.
President Putin welcomed the leaders and emphasised the importance of strengthening regional economic cooperation under the SCO, highlighting its role as a key platform for connectivity, stability, and mutually beneficial development across the region, a DPM’s Office news release said.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister (DPM/FM), Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar Tuesday met Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk in Moscow following the conclusion of the SCO Council of Heads of Government meetings, with both sides undertaking a comprehensive review of bilateral ties.
The discussions covered political, economic, energy, connectivity, agricultural, industrial, educational and people-to-people cooperation, with both leaders noting the importance of strengthening collaboration through institutionalised mechanisms, a DPM’s Office news release said.
DPM Overchuk, recalling his recent visits to Pakistan, acknowledged the country’s growing potential as a regional hub for transit and connectivity. He emphasised Russia’s interest in expanding joint initiatives that support regional trade flows and infrastructure development.
Dar and Overchuk also exchanged views on major regional and global developments. They reaffirmed their commitment to closer coordination at bilateral and multilateral platforms, including the United Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
Both sides expressed confidence that sustained high-level engagement would further consolidate Pakistan–Russia relations and open new avenues of cooperation in shared priority sectors.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday urged member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to accelerate economic cooperation, expand engagement with partner countries, and modernise the organisation to meet emerging global and regional challenges.
He made these remarks during his address at the 24th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) held in Moscow.
The deputy PM said the joint communique and documents adopted at the summit would go a long way in guiding collective efforts toward regional prosperity. He emphasised that the SCO’s agenda, spanning trade, economy, culture, and humanitarian cooperation, forms the foundation of a “mature, future-oriented” organisation.
Highlighting the outcomes of the recent Tianjin summit, the foreign minister noted that the SCO is shifting towards deeper economic integration. He pointed to expanded trade collaboration, improved infrastructure connectivity, investment partnerships, and the promotion of digital economies as key pillars for sustainable growth across the SCO region.
He also underscored the SCO’s potential to enhance humanitarian cooperation and disaster response. He shared that Pakistan has developed a “technology-driven, proactive” disaster management system and expressed Pakistan’s willingness to conduct simulation exercises with member states to strengthen regional preparedness.
Calling for stronger engagement with SCO observer and partner states, Ishaq Dar urged the organisation to move beyond “passive observation” and bring these countries into project-based initiatives aligned with their expertise. He also welcomed the introduction of English as a working language and proposed the establishment of translation units to broaden the SCO’s global outreach.
The deputy PM outlined several proposals for practical cooperation, including activating financial tools such as the SCO Interbank Consortium and advancing plans for an SCO Development Bank to support connectivity and technical collaboration projects.
Stressing the importance of human capital development, Ishaq Dar advocated an expansion of the SCO University Network into a consortium focused on applied knowledge. He said such an initiative would promote student exchanges and joint research in critical fields, including information technology, artificial intelligence, agriculture, water resource management, and telemedicine.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening regional ties, Dar called for an SCO that serves as a “launch pad for shared success,” fostering greater innovation, interconnectedness, and integration among its member states.
