BISHKEK – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held key meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Bishkek as top regional leaders gathered in Kyrgyzstan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
The high-level meeting between the Pakistani and Iranian leaders comes as the two-day SCO summit brings together the heads of state of several major regional powers, placing Bishkek at the centre of intense diplomatic activity.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in the Kyrgyz capital to participate in the SCO summit, where Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and leaders from more than a dozen other countries are also gathering.
The meeting with Pezeshkian adds significance to Pakistan-Iran diplomatic engagement, with regional cooperation and bilateral ties expected to remain important issues during the summit.
The Iranian president had earlier met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, making Pezeshkian’s subsequent interaction with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif another closely watched diplomatic engagement on the sidelines of the gathering.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Shehbaz Sharif was received upon his arrival in Bishkek by Kyrgyzstan’s Cabinet Chairman Adylbek Kasymaliev.
The Pakistani prime minister is in Kyrgyzstan on a three-day visit and is scheduled to participate in the SCO summit alongside leaders from across the region.
The Prime Minister’s Office said Shehbaz Sharif would also hold a series of bilateral meetings with leaders participating in the summit.
These meetings are expected to focus on bilateral relations, trade and investment, regional cooperation and other matters of mutual interest.
With China, Russia, Iran and several other regional powers represented at the summit, Shehbaz Sharif’s diplomatic engagements in Bishkek are set to provide Pakistan with an opportunity to strengthen ties with key partners and advance discussions on regional cooperation.
The gathering comes at a time when regional connectivity, economic cooperation and closer diplomatic coordination have become increasingly important, giving the SCO summit added significance for participating countries.
As leaders converge in Bishkek for the two-day summit, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s meeting with President Pezeshkian has emerged as one of the key diplomatic interactions drawing attention on the sidelines of the event.
