Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has begun a three-day official visit to China to represent Pakistan at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers’ Council meeting.

The meeting will bring together foreign ministers from China, Russia, India, Belarus, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

The agenda will focus on enhancing regional cooperation, political unity, and economic collaboration. Notably, this will be the first participation of Belarus’s Foreign Minister as a member country, marking a significant milestone in the SCO’s expansion.

In addition to the main meeting, Ishaq Dar is anticipated to engage in sideline discussions with the foreign ministers of Russia, China, and Uzbekistan to address bilateral relations, regional cooperation, and global issues.

High-level delegations from member countries have already arrived in Beijing for the SCO meeting. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is also in China, where he has met with his Chinese counterpart to discuss Russia-China relations and other important regional topics.

The Foreign Office has stated that this visit offers Pakistan a vital opportunity to strengthen regional cooperation, bolster economic ties, and advance its foreign policy objectives.