UFA, Russia: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will lead the Pakistani delegation at the two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit beginning in the Russia City of Ufa on Thursday.
Under its agenda, the summit will discuss variety of issues including expansion of the organization for the first time since 2001 and terror related issues on Afghan borders linked with Central Asian states.
Also read: Pakistan will get SCO membership by July 10
Also read: SCO summit will discuss spillover of terrorists from Afghan borders
Pakistan along with India, Iran, Mangolia and Afghanistan holds the observer status in SCO. However, according to official sources, Pakistan and India will be given SCO full membership during the summit.
The SCO was established as is an important organization in Shanghai in June 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
“Pakistan which enjoys Observer’s status in SCO, has been making substantive contribution to regional peace, security and development,” the Foreign Office in Islamabad said in a statement on July 6.
Nawaz Sharif will also attend the outreach meeting of the leaders of BRICS, an association of five major emerging national economies including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
In addition, the prime minister is also scheduled to hold important bilateral meetings with various leaders including the Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Indian Counterpart Narendera Modi on the sidelines of the SCO Summit.