ISLAMABAD, APR 16 (APP): At the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, the Secretary General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Nurlan Yermekbayev, will visit Pakistan on April 17-18, 2025.

He will be heading a delegation comprising of officials from the SCO Secretariat in Beijing, a press release issued by the Foreign Office said on Wednesday.

During his stay, the secretary general will have meetings with the deputy PM, Minister of Commerce and Foreign Secretary.

He will visit National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI). He will also speak at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) and engage with business leaders, entrepreneurs and media persons.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a ten-member inter-governmental trans-regional organization. It is the largest regional multilateral organization of the world. SCO region is home to 3.4 billion people (42% of world population. It occupies a landmass of 36 million square kilometers (25% of global landmass) and accounts for a combined GDP of US $ 24.67 trillion (25% of the global GDP).

The SCO provides an important platform for Pakistan to further strengthen its deep-rooted and historic ties with the member States and promote socio-economic cooperation for mutual benefit across diverse areas.

The visit of the Secretary General of the SCO will provide an opportunity for Pakistan to engage with the SCO Secretariat while highlighting its perspective and priorities for making SCO mechanisms more effective in advancing shared regional security and economic goals.