Islamabad: Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar departed Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyz Republic, for Islamabad on Saturday after successfully concluding his visits to Manila, Philippines, for the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Ministerial Meeting and to the Kyrgyz Republic to participate in the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting.
At the airport, he was seen off by Deputy Foreign Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic Kairat Erkinovich Tursunkulov, Ambassador of Pakistan to the Kyrgyz Republic Altamash Wazir and officials of the Embassy of Pakistan in Bishkek.
Meanwhile According to the statement issued by the Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi, Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar participated in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers’ (CFM) Meeting in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyz Republic, from 23-24 July 2026.
Upon his arrival, the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister was received by Deputy Foreign Minister Kairat Erkinovich Tu
rsunkulov and senior officials of the Kyrgyz Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic, Altamash Wazir Khan, and Pakistan’s National Coordinator for the SCO, Dr Mohammad Faisal.
During his visit, the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister attended an informal dinner at the Cultural Center ‘Nomad’, hosted by the Foreign Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic, Zheenbek Moldokanovich Kulubaev, in honour of the visiting dignitaries.
The Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister also called on the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Sadyr Nurgozhoevich Zhaparov, at the State Residence of the President in Cholpon-Ata, along with the Heads of Delegation of the SCO Member States. Conveying the greetings of Pakistan’s leadership, the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister expressed Pakistan’s desire to work closely with the Kyrgyz side to further strengthen bilateral cooperation across diverse fields.
Leading the Pakistan delegation to the SCO CFM Meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minis
ter delivered Pakistan’s national statement, reiterating the country’s unwavering commitment to the SCO Charter, as well as the ‘Shanghai Spirit’, which stands for mutual trust, mutual respect, shared prosperity and development. He warned against confrontational geopolitics and the use of aggression as an instrument of policy.
In his statement, the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister highlighted Pakistan’s efforts that led to the ‘Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)’ for bringing peace to the Middle East. He underscored the importance of enhancing connectivity, transport links, poverty alleviation, as well as practical cooperation among the SCO Member States to achieve the Organisation’s objectives. He highly praised the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which complements the SCO’s vision of regional connectivity and economic integration.
The Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister conveyed Pakistan’s readiness to assume the Chair of the SCO Council of Heads of State (CHS) in September this
year and to host the CHS Summit in 2027. He invited all SCO Member States to Pakistan for the CHS Summit next year.
During the visit, the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister attended the official reception hosted by Foreign Minister Kulubaev in honour of the Foreign Ministers of the SCO Member States.
On the sidelines of the SCO CFM Meeting, in addition to productive and detailed discussions with the host Foreign Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister engaged extensively and exchanged in-depth views on bilateral relations and the regional situation with the Foreign Ministers of the People’s Republic of China, Wang Yi; the Islamic Republic of Iran, Seyed Abbas Araghchi; the Republic of Kazakhstan, Yermek Kosherbayev; the Republic of Belarus, Maxim Ryzhenkov; the Republic of Tajikistan, Sirojiddin Muhriddin; and the Republic of Uzbekistan, Bakhtiyor Saidov.
The visit of the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister to Kyrgyzstan provided an opportunity not only to underscore Pakistan’s historic
ties with the SCO Member States but also to reaffirm its readiness to assume the Chair of the SCO for 2026-27 and to promote the SCO agenda for socio-economic cooperation for mutual benefit. Both the formal meetings and informal interactions with the Heads of Delegation of the SCO Member States were useful in highlighting Pakistan’s priorities for making SCO mechanisms more effective in advancing shared regional prosperity and economic goals.