Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi is representing Pakistan at the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Co-operation Organization (SCO) in Moscow.
He will present Pakistan’s viewpoint about promotion of regional co-operation through the SCO platform, and strengthening of mutual contacts among the member states.
The Council of Foreign Ministers is the most important forum of the SCO after the Council of Heads of State.
On the sidelines of the council’s meeting, Qureshi is to hold meetings with foreign ministers of various countries, including his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
Bilateral relations, peace and stability in the region, and the promotion of bilateral co-operation in various fields will be reviewed at these meetings.
Qureshi will also attend a dinner to be hosted by Lavrov.
One of these meetings was with Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin, during which Qureshi briefed his Tajik counterpart on the alleged human rights violations in the Indian-administered Kashmir.
Both the dignitaries also discussed peace efforts in Afghanistan, as well as the coronavirus pandemic and the measures taken to control its spread.
When addressing the Council of Foreign Ministers meeting, Qureshi urged them to work together to address resurgence of “fascist” ideologies and violent nationalism in the world, especially in the region.
He said that those perpetrating state terrorism against people under illegal occupation in disputed territories must be condemned and held accountable.
The minister stressed that the peaceful resolution of outstanding disputes is a pre-requisite for achieving development, economic growth, poverty alleviation and social uplift of the masses.
In this context, Qureshi said, we strongly emphasise the importance of faithfully implementing UN Security Council resolutions.
He said that the world must strongly condemn and oppose any unilateral and illegal measures to change the status of disputed territories in violation of UN Security Council Resolutions.
Qureshi said that we must affirm that extremist as well as xenophobic ideologies, including Islamophobia, have no place in today’s world.
Highlighting the importance of peace and stability in Afghanistan, the minister said that Pakistan has assiduously supported the efforts for a peace and reconciliation process that is Afghan-led and Afghan-owned.
He said the Afghan stakeholders must now seize this historic opportunity and work together to secure an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement.
Qureshi said that it is also imperative to be cognizant of the role of “spoilers” within and outside, who do not want peace and stability to return to Afghanistan.
He said that the return of Afghan refugees to their homeland with dignity and honour should be an essential part of the peace negotiations.
Qureshi and his Russian counterpart Lavrov and their teams at a meeting in Moscow.
