ISLAMABAD, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will participate in the 16th Meeting of the Council of the Heads of Government (CHG) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) at Sochi, Russia, from Nov. 30 to Dec. 1, on the invitation of Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
This is the first SCO Heads of Government meeting that Pakistan will participate after assumption of full membership in June this year, a Foreign Ministry statement said.
The meeting is mandated to focus on strategy, prospects and priorities for SCO's developmental cooperation.
Abbasi will participate in the SCO Retreat being hosted by the Russian prime minister with his other SCO counterparts.
The retreat will be followed by a Plenary Session of the Council of Heads of Government where the Pakistani prime minister will deliver a statement.
At the plenary, the prime minister will outline Pakistan's commitment to SCO's objectives including fighting terrorism and extremism and its sincere interest in regional peace, stability and development.
The prime minister will also hold important bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit, the statement said.
SCO objectives include building mutual trust, equality, respect for cultural diversity and good-neighbourly relations. It aims to promote effective cooperation in the areas of political, security, trade, economy and social sectors. SCO Regional Anti Terrorist Structure (RATS) contributes towards regional peace, security and stability.
SCO now comprises eight member States, namely Pakistan, China, Russia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It has four observer states, namely Iran, Afghanistan, Belarus and Mongolia and six dialogue partners, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey.
