Top SCO official set to arrive in Pakistan on 4-day visit

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) – The secretary-general of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Thursday is set to arrive in Islamabad for a four-day official visit, according to the Pakistani Foreign Ministry.

Ambassador Zhang Ming along with a delegation comprising officials from the SCO Secretariat based in Beijing will meet with Pakistan's foreign minister, along with ministers of commerce, climate change, information technology, and maritime affairs during his visit on July 21-24 in the capital.

He will also speak at a think tank, the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, and engage with business leaders and entrepreneurs, according to the statement.

The SCO is a major trans-regional multilateral organization with eight members, including China, Russia, India, and Pakistan. The member countries are home to 41% of the world's population and account for 23% of global GDP.

"The visit of the SCO Secretary General will provide an opportunity for Pakistan to engage with the SCO Secretariat while highlighting its perspective and priorities for making SCO mechanisms more effective in advancing shared regional security and economic goals," said the ministry.