Pakistan's prime minister set to attend Tianjin SCO Summit

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Tianjin, where he will hold bilateral talks with Chinese leaders, Pakistani Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal said on Monday.

Addressing a media gathering in Pakistan's embassy in Beijing, Iqbal said that one of the aims of his current visit to China was to prepare for the bilateral high-level political interactions.

Hailing the China-Pakistan bilateral strategic and iron-clad partnership, Iqbal said he had had discussions with Chinese officials aimed at making the relationship "more effective" and to "expand the framework of the partnership to make real impact on the lives of the people".

On his expectations for the SCO summit, which will begin in Tianjin on August 31, he said that it would be a "very important meeting at an important time".

He said he believed that enhancing predictability, ensuring stability, bringing more order and promoting global governance would constitute the important agenda for the leaders.

Iqbal also voiced the hope that the summit could lead to more people-to-people and cultural exchanges to foster better understanding among various countries.

It is important for leaders from SCO countries to meet and "play a role to bring about de-escalation in different parts of the world" amid geopolitical conflicts and global uncertainties, he added.