Visit of Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: At the request of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, the Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Mr. Nurlan Yermekbayev, is scheduled to visit Pakistan from April 17 to 18, 2025. He will be accompanied by a delegation of officials from the SCO Secretariat based in Beijing.

During his visit, the Secretary General will hold meetings with key Pakistani officials including the Deputy Prime Minister & Foreign Minister, the Minister for Commerce, and the Foreign Secretary. His itinerary also includes visits to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI). Additionally, he will deliver a talk at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) and interact with leading business figures, entrepreneurs, and representatives from the media.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a trans-regional intergovernmental body comprising ten member states. It is the world’s largest regional multilateral organization in terms of population and geographic coverage. The SCO represents a population of approximately 3.4 billion people—roughly 42% of the global total—and spans an area of 36 million square kilometers, covering 25% of the Earth’s land surface. The member states collectively contribute around USD 24.67 trillion to the global economy, which is about a quarter of the world’s GDP.

For Pakistan, the SCO serves as a vital forum to deepen longstanding ties with fellow member countries and to enhance collaboration in a wide range of socio-economic fields for shared development.

The Secretary General’s visit presents a valuable opportunity for Pakistan to engage directly with the SCO Secretariat, share its perspectives, and advocate for making SCO’s frameworks more efficient in promoting regional peace, stability, and economic growth.