Moscow, November 18, 2025: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday urged member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to fast-track regional economic integration by operationalising key financial mechanisms to support connectivity and development initiatives.
Dar made the remarks while addressing the 24th meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) held in Moscow. The CHG is the organisation’s second-highest decision-making body and oversees cooperation in economic, financial, trade, connectivity, and socio-economic sectors, while also approving the SCO budget and adopting major communiqués and decisions.
Speaking at the forum, Dar said the joint communiqué and documents adopted at the summit would play a pivotal role in steering collective efforts toward regional prosperity. He noted that the SCO’s broad agenda — encompassing trade, economy, culture, and humanitarian cooperation — reflects its evolution into a “mature, future-oriented” organisation.
Referring to outcomes of the recent Tianjin summit, the foreign minister said the SCO was transitioning toward deeper economic integration. He highlighted expanded trade partnerships, enhanced connectivity infrastructure, greater investment linkages, and the promotion of digital economies as essential pillars for sustainable growth across the SCO region.
Dar also underscored the organisation’s capacity to strengthen humanitarian cooperation and disaster response. He said Pakistan had developed a “technology-driven, proactive” disaster management system and offered to conduct joint simulation exercises with member states to bolster regional preparedness.
Calling for stronger engagement with SCO observer and partner countries, Dar urged the organisation to move beyond “passive observation” and involve these states in project-based initiatives aligned with their expertise.
The deputy prime minister proposed activating major financial tools, including the SCO Interbank Consortium, and advancing plans to establish an SCO Development Bank to fund connectivity and technical cooperation projects.
Emphasising the importance of human capital development, Dar recommended expanding the SCO University Network into a consortium focused on applied learning. Such a platform, he said, would support student exchanges and joint research in key fields such as information technology, artificial intelligence, agriculture, water resource management, and telemedicine.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to enhanced regional cooperation, Dar called for transforming the SCO into a “launch pad for shared success,” fostering innovation, connectivity, and deeper integration among its member states.
