Peace, security and development are the main priorities that Pakistan will bring to the table at the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, said Pakistan's Ambassador to China, Khalil Hashmi.
Scheduled to take place in Aug 31 to Sept 1 in north China's Tianjin Municipality, the summit will bring together leaders from more than 20 countries and heads of 10 international organizations.
In an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Hashmi said that Pakistan sets promoting peace, security and development as its top priorities in face of ongoing global conflicts.
"Peace, security and development. Let me illustrate. I think peace, in the current context where there are conflicts raging in different parts of the world, is a priority for us in the Eurasian landmass. And closely related to peace is the notion of security, and it has many dimensions, whether it is counter-terrorism through that or counter-narcotics. But then the third pillar is development," he said.
The bilateral relationship between China and Pakistan has come to be known as the "Iron Brotherhood." According to Hashmi, this means strong ties at multiple levels, which have led to aligned approaches and objectives within the SCO.
"Ironclad friendship with China is a cornerstone of Pakistan's foreign policy and it is manifested in many ways. One is the government-to-government level, that is of course. Next year we are celebrating 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. So this is a relationship not just between governments, it is also a relationship between people, between businesses, between think tanks, between different organizations. More specifically on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, I think there is a very close alignment in our approach and in our objectives, in our efforts to promote and advance the Shanghai Spirit (the founding principles of the SCO)," he said.
The SCO, established in 2001 in Shanghai by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, has expanded from a regional organization into a trans-regional organization with 10 member states, 2 observer states and 14 dialogue partners, covering over 60 percent of the Eurasian landmass and nearly half of the world's population.
Pakistan to prioritize peace, development at SCO Tianjin Summit: ambassador
