By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) - The two-day summit of government leaders from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) kicked off in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad on Wednesday, with premiers and senior officials from 12 countries in attendance.

The 23rd meeting of the Council of the Heads of Government of SCO member states is presided over by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Among the participants are Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Kyrgyzstan’s Prime Minister Akylbek Zhaparov, Uzbekistan's Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov, Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko, Tajikistan’s Prime Minister Kokhir Rasulzoda and Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov.

India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Iranian Mining and Trade Minister Seyyed Mohammad Atabek are also attending the summit.

Mongolian Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai is attending the summit as an observer member, while Turkmenistan’s Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov is also attending the summit as a special guest.

The summit will cover a range of issues, including economic and trade cooperation, environmental initiatives, and socio-cultural links among member states. Leaders are expected to adopt key decisions aimed at enhancing collaboration within the organization and approving the SCO’s budget for the coming year, according to the Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry.

To ensure security for the summit, Pakistan has undertaken extensive safety measures with the capital under security lockdown, and approximately 10,000 security personnel have been deployed across Islamabad and neighboring Rawalpindi.

Founded in 2001 in Shanghai, the SCO originally comprised six countries: Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan joined in 2017, followed by Iran in 2023 and Belarus this year.

The organization also includes two observer states, Afghanistan and Mongolia, and 14 dialogue partners, including Türkiye