Pakistan committed to SCO agenda for regional growth: FM Bilawal

TASHKENT: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Pakistan would always be a strong partner in all endeavours of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) aimed at promoting collective good of the region.

Addressing the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers Meeting (CFM), the foreign minister said SCO’s contributions to regional security and stability as well as shaping of economic and information environment would continue to grow.

Bilawal reaffirmed Pakistan’s unflinching commitment to the goals and principles of the SCO Charter and the “Shanghai Spirit”. He mentioned that the world was facing an existential threat in the shape of climate change. He said the overall economic, social and psychological impact of Covid-19 pandemic was yet to be fully grasped, let alone mitigated.

He mentioned the re-emergence of military conflict in different parts of the world and unprecedented hike of fuel and food prices as challenges taking a heavy toll on nations and citizens across the globe.

He said Pakistan believed that the best course in these turbulent times was to renew faith in the principles of inter-state relations and reinforce the resilience of institutions.

“The centrality of the principles of non-use or threat of use of force, respect for sovereignty and territory integrity, pacific settlement of disputes, and equal security for all, cannot be stressed enough,” he said.

He said it was the considered view that peaceful coexistence and cooperation – and not confrontation – must be the key drivers of global politics.

Peace in Afghanistan

On Afghanistan, the foreign minister said after 40 years of conflict and instability, there was finally a prospect of forging sustainable peace and stability in Afghanistan. He said Pakistan acknowledges the steps taken to improve the security environment and fight the terrorist threat from ISIS.

Bilawal said Pakistan had extended humanitarian relief assistance and continues to open up avenues for trade, transit trade, cross-border facilitation and connectivity.

He stressed it was equally important to defreeze Afghanistan’s financial assets. He called on the international community to maintain constructive engagement and practical cooperation with Afghanistan.

Bilawal said the Afghan interim authorities should take steps to address the international community’s expectations about inclusivity, respect for the rights of all Afghans, including girls’ education, and effective counter-terrorism actions.

He said Pakistan will remain strongly committed to a peaceful, stable, sovereign, prosperous and connected Afghanistan and work with international partners to advance our shared objectives.

He said terrorism was one of the major threats that the international community continues to face. He noted the valiant people, armed forces, and law enforcement personnel had made tremendous sacrifices in to eliminate this scourge in Pakistan.

“Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including state-terrorism perpetrated against people living under foreign occupation in disputed territories,” he said.

He said the phenomenon of terrorism continued to evolve, the growing levels of intolerance, emergence of extremist and hegemonic ideologies, and Islamophobic impulses, have imparted a different level of lethality to this threat.

SCO connectivity

Bilawal said the growth and prosperity of SCO region was also dependent on critical drivers such as e-commerce, digitalization of businesses, innovation, and security of international supply chains. He called for deepening interactions between the business communities through the SCO business council.

The foreign minister said Pakistan would be hosting an interaction between SCO businessmen and entrepreneurs by end 2022. He said SCO region also faced an urgent need for a development funding mechanism.

Bilawal emphasized the roadmap for a stage-wise development of national systems aimed at the use of national currencies is an important initiative to enhancing intra-SCO trade.

He stressed enhancing connectivity through building rail, road, sea and air links remains critical for the realization of our shared vision.

He said Pakistan was actively working on the Trans-Afghan Railway (TAR) project with Uzbekistan and Afghanistan which will provide a crucial link from Central Asia to the seaports in Pakistan, providing a natural trans-shipment link to the SCO region.

He said Pakistan was keen to develop mutually beneficial arrangements for the SCO countries in the area of trans-shipment, warehousing, multimodal transportation and so on.

He said the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) already served as a pivotal platform to help promote connectivity and regional prosperity.

He said Pakistan was endeavouring to build the foundation for a strong e-commerce ecosystem which includes a sound regulatory environment, financial inclusion, and digitization through payment infrastructure.

He said the government’s policy was focused on empowering youth, women and SMEs to benefit from digitalisation and to provide economic opportunities to over 130 million youth in Pakistan.

He said ensuring food security in the face of severe climatic changes as well as volatility caused by conflicts is of critical importance for us all.

He mentioned that recent proposals to train farmers; exchange of technology and exhibitions were important initiatives to strengthen the capacity of our growers and farmers.

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