EAM Jaishankar ‘warmly recieved’ at Nur Khan Airbase: Pak Ministry of Foreign Affairs

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday to attend the twenty-third meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (CHG) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan stated.

Director General for South Asia at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ilyas Mehmood Nizami, warmly received Jaishankar at Nur Khan Airbase in Islamabad, the statement added.

Children dressed in traditional attire presented bouquets of flowers to the foreign dignitaries. A red carpet was rolled out to welcome the guests, underscoring the importance of the event and the cordial relations between the two nations, as per the statement.

The two-day meeting of SCO CHG, the second highest forum within the SCO, will be chaired by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as the current chair of the Council, the statement further said.

As per the statement, Pakistan had assumed the rotating chair of the SCO CHG for 2023-24 at the previous meeting held in Bishkek on October 26, 2023 where the country was represented by then interim Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani.

In a post on X, Jaishankar said, “Landed in Islamabad to take part in SCO Council of Heads of Government Meeting.”

The 23rd SCO CHG is all set to kick off on Wednesday in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, with top-notch security measures in place.

The Ministry of External Affairs said that the meeting will focus on the trade and economic agenda of the organisation.

“The 23rd Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) will be held on 16 October 2024 in Islamabad under the chairmanship of Pakistan. The SCO CHG meeting is held annually and focusses on the trade and economic agenda of the organisation,” the MEA stated.

Jaishankar will lead the Indian delegation at the 23rd Meeting of the SCO.

“India remains actively engaged in the SCO format, including various mechanisms and initiatives within the SCO framework,” the release said.