ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The 16th Virtual Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Forum hosted by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan was held on Tuesday.
The representatives of the SCO Member States participated in the meeting.
From Pakistan, representatives of the Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), and the South Asian Strategic Stability Institute (SASSI) participated.
The Session was commenced with the opening remarks of the Director-General ISSI Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry.
Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry extended his gratitude CGSS and SASSI and highlighted that in the contemporary era of globalization, there is a need for regional cooperation to produce sustainable outcomes.
The director-general ISSI was of the view that SCO provides its member states with a platform to work and cooperate together on various platforms and sectors.
The National Coordinator SCO Ms. Aisha Farooqui mentioned that SCO is successfully operating in the region and more states are applying for its observer status.
Ms. Aisha Farooqui highlighted the contribution of SCO towards the security and economic development of the region, especially during the pandemic. She said that collective efforts are required to deal with the rising challenges and Pakistan will continue to play its regional role to maintain peace and stability in the region.
In his remarks, the SCO Secretary-General His Excellency Vladimir Norov appreciated Pakistan’s role in SCO. He further indicated that the SCO States stands firmly against the regional challenges.
Vladimir Norov mentioned that the recommendations of the forum will contribute the official documents presented to SCO for its future initiatives.
The President CGSS Major General (retd) Syed Khalid Amir Jaffery chaired the Second Session on “SCO and the Geopolitics of Eurasia: Prospects of Security Cooperation between SCO Members”.
The Session included speakers from Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and India.
While addressing the forum in the Second Session and sharing his views on the topic, Major General (retd) Syed Khalid Amir Jaffery said that SCO represents the hybrid model of the regional organization as it cooperates in the field of agriculture, information, and technology, health, environment, climate, economy, and security. He mentioned that the COVID 19 situation has negatively impacted the economic development of many SCO States.
Furthermore, in order to ensure smooth economic cooperation, trade should be carried out with transparency and without any discrimination.
The president CGSS emphasized that economic plans cannot be implemented smoothly until security is ensured in the region.
Major General (retd) Syed Khalid Amir Jaffery viewed stability in Afghanistan to be of utmost importance, especially with regards to the illegal trade and cultivation of poppy after the US withdrawal. He mentioned that SCO holds a unique position to help in the development; it sets an example of how intrastate relations can be maintained and improved between the states.
The President SASSI Dr. Maria Sultan also addressed the forum.
The forum invited representatives of all the member SCO States including China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, India, and Tajikistan.
The forum had discussions about boosting the socio-economic cooperation among the SCO Member States and SCO and the Geopolitics of Eurasia: Prospects of Security Cooperation between SCO Members.
