Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will participate in a virtual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on the invitation of his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on July 4, Pakistan's foreign ministry announced on Friday.
In a statement, it said Sharif's participation in the summit illustrates the high importance that Pakistan attaches to the SCO, which is an important forum for regional security and prosperity, and enhanced engagement with the region.
"Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will participate in the 23rd Meeting of SCO Council of Heads of State (CHS) being held in video conference format on 4th July 2023," it said.
"The invitation to the Prime Minister to attend the SCO-CHS was extended by the Prime Minister of India in his capacity as the current Chair of the SCO," the statement said.
At the summit, the leaders will deliberate on important global and regional issues and chart the future direction of cooperation among SCO Member States. This year, the SCO CHS will also welcome Iran as a new member of the organisation, it said.
The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became permanent members in 2017.
India assumed the rotating chairmanship of the SCO at the Samarkand Summit on September 16 last year.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced in May that India will host the annual summit of the SCO in a virtual format on July 4. However, it did not cite reasons for holding the summit in virtual mode.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
"Take Pride In Multi-Religious Pakistan": PM Shehbaz Sharif On Holi Shehbaz Sharif Sworn In As Pakistan's Prime Minister For Second Time Nawaz Sharif Nominates Brother Shehbaz As Pakistan PM Candidate 150 mg Semen In Kolkata Doctor's Body, Suspect Gang-Rape: Parents To Court 2 French Rafale Jets Collide Mid-Air, Instructor, Pilot Missing "Attempt To Save Accused Instead Of...": Rahul Gandhi On Doctor Rape-Murder Taylor Swift To Return To Stage For Eras Tour After Vienna Attack Plot "140 Crore Indians Worried About Safety Of Hindus In Bangladesh": PM Modi G20 Nations Couldn't Do, India Did, Met Paris Accord Target Before Time: PM Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.