VIDEO: EAM Jaishankar welcomed by Pakistani PM Sharif as SCO Summit begins

Islamabad/New Delhi: Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was on Wednesday welcomed by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar as he arrived at the venue of the SCO Summit in Islamabad.

The 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) 2024 kicked off in Islamabad on Wednesday with the arrival of members at the Jinnah Convention Centre amidst strict security measures.

#WATCH | Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif welcomes EAM Dr S Jaishankar at the venue of the SCO Summit in Islamabad.

EAM is in Pakistan to participate in the 23rd Meeting of SCO Council of Heads of Government.

(Source: Host broadcaster/PTV) pic.twitter.com/mjPJSVrM28

— ANI (@ANI) October 16, 2024

They were welcomed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, followed by a group photo.

Pakistan had assumed the rotating chair of the SCO CHG for 2023-24 at the previous meeting held in Bishkek on October 26, 2023.

The SCO member states are being represented by Prime Ministers of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as well as Minister for Industry and Trade of Iran and External Affairs Minister of India.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in his inaugural speech at the SCO summit 2024 welcomed the dignitaries to Pakistan for attending the summit.

The Pakistan PM’s opening remarks are set to be followed by statements from other member states. A notable agenda of the day is “documents signing” before the prime minister offers the concluding remarks.

In the afternoon, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and SCO Secretary General Zhang Ming will brief the media about the highlights of the summit. This would be followed by “official luncheons” by PM Shehbaz.

On Tuesday evening, EAM Jaishankar attended the SCO dinner hosted by the Pakistani PM.