According to the Russian state-run news agency RIA, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Thursday that pipeline gas deliveries to Pakistan are feasible and that some of the required equipment is already in place.
Today, President Putin and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan met in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on the margins of the SCO conference.
The high-level discussion took place after the prime minister travelled to the capital of Uzbekistan for a two-day visit, from September 15 to 16, in order to attend the annual meeting of the SCO’s Council of Heads of State (CHS).
Following his meeting with Putin, the prime minister met privately with Emomali Rahmon, the president of Tajikistan.
The two presidents engaged in-depth discussions spanning all facets of mutually advantageous bilateral cooperation, as well as regional and global challenges.
The prime minister praised Tajikistan for helping Pakistani flood victims and described the destruction brought on by the enormous floods brought on by climate change.
PM Shehbaz emphasised the significance of routine conferences on bilateral institutional frameworks and the development of mutually advantageous collaboration in the execution of energy projects.
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to finishing the significant “CASA-1000” power transmission project on schedule.
Later, the prime minister met privately with Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the president of Uzbekistan. The two presidents discussed regional and global challenges, as well as the relationship between Pakistan and Uzbekistan.
The leaders talked about regional connectivity by rail, road, and seaports, as well as trade and commercial linkages.
The PM emphasised the need of deepening political ties and accelerating commercial and economic cooperation by fully implementing the Preferential Trade Agreement and Uzbekistan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement (UPTTA) (PTA).
The two leaders decided that the Inter-Governmental Commission should meet as soon as possible to develop concrete ideas and initiatives for further deepening and extending Pakistan-Uzbekistan cooperation across all spheres.
The prime minister then met with President Sadyr Zhaparov to exchange ideas for enhancing bilateral ties.
PM Shehbaz emphasised the necessity of swift international action to address the issue of climate change as well as the need for cooperation from nations like Pakistan that contributed almost no carbon emissions during the summit.
In addition to thanking the nation for hosting more than 11,000 Pakistani students in medical schools, PM Shehbaz expressed the hope that the Kyrgyz government would continue to assist them and protect their safety and security while they were studying there.
The SCO meeting
Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the president of Uzbekistan, will preside over the SCO summit, which will focus on critical global and regional issues like climate change, food and energy security, and sustainable supply chains.
The SCO leaders would also ratify contracts and papers that would outline the future course of cooperation among the group’s members.
The prime minister will meet separately with other participating leaders during the Council of Heads of State gathering in addition to attending the summit.
PM Shehbaz and Modi will meet at the SCO summit in September.
Pakistan has been actively advancing the SCO’s core goals through its participation in various SCO mechanisms ever since it became a full member in 2017.
Nearly half of the world’s population and a quarter of the world’s economic output are collectively represented by the SCO member states.
In a statement released by the Prime Minister Office, it was stated that Pakistan’s vision for enhancing economic connectivity as well as peace and stability in the region was in line with the SCO’s agenda of promoting peace and stability and seeking enhanced linkages in the economic, trade, and cultural spheres.
