Pakistan has, for the first time, assumed the rotating chairmanship of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) from Kyrgyzstan, with the organisation’s 2027 summit scheduled to be held in Islamabad.
Leaders of SCO member states decided on Tuesday, during the organisation’s summit in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, to hand over the rotating chairmanship to Pakistan. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formally assumed the chairmanship on behalf of his country.
Pakistan will hold the SCO chairmanship for the next year. According to the Pakistani government, Islamabad will focus during its tenure on strengthening regional peace and security, economic cooperation, trade, regional connectivity, and practical cooperation among member states.
Pakistan became a full member of the SCO alongside India in 2017. This marks the first time Islamabad has assumed the organisation’s rotating chairmanship. The SCO’s most important meeting in 2027 will also be held in Islamabad during Pakistan’s chairmanship.
Writer:Saeed Sameer
