Pakistan has gained a key place in annual summit, membership memoranda was signed during 2016 Uzbekistan summit
Pakistan has been admitted today as a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, in what appears to be a considerable victory in times of diplomatic turmoil.
Pakistan was awarded the membership at the Astana summit in Kazakhstan, when Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in his inaugural speech during the 17th SCO summit welcomed Pakistan as full member of the organisation.
The premier welcomed a proposal made by Chinese President Xi Jinping on a five-year treaty for good neighbourliness among SCO members, and thanked the founding members including China, Russia and others for their staunch support to Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif along with his delegation is representing the country in the meeting of the Heads of State Council Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) two-day summit 2017 in Astana Kazakhstan.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a Eurasian political, economic, and military organisation which was founded in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Pakistan has been actively participating in the activities of the Organisation since 2005 and applied for full membership of the organisation in 2010. The decision, in principle, to give membership to Pakistan was taken by the SCO Heads of States meeting held in Ufa, Russia, in 2015.
“The SCO goals resonate with Pakistan’s national ethos, and so do the core values of the Shanghai spirit and the SCO charter with our own quest the for peaceful neighbourhood,” PM Nawaz said at the summit.
“As leaders, we should leave a legacy of peace and amity for our future generations, not a toxic harvest of conflict and animosity. Instead of talking about counter-weights and containment, let us create shared spaces for all,” PM Nawaz urged SCO heads of state.
Further Nawaz Sharif said that expansion of the SCO had taken place at an ‘opportune time’, as China’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ (OBOR) initiative has transformed the global economic landscape.
Pakistan shares with the SCO and its member states, deep-rooted historical and cultural links, as well as strong economic and strategic relations.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation aims the military cooperation between the members and involves intelligence-sharing, counter-terrorism operations in Central Asia.