Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has stressed on collective action by the regional countries under Shanghai Cooperation Organization to jointly address the common issues of climate change, poverty and terrorism.
Addressing the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Indian resort city of Goa, he said geopolitics must not affect the commitment to address the challenges and learn lessons for the collective good.
The Foreign Minister said the climate crisis posed an existential threat to humanity and proposed the establishment of a Joint Working Group in SCO on Climate Change.
He emphasized holding the developed world up to their commitment to providing 100 billion dollars annually for climate finance.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari highlighted Pakistan’s vision of enhanced regional economic connectivity and win-win cooperation.
He said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor could be a force multiplier for regional connectivity, adding that the route CPEC offered all countries to take the journey further and connect the dots towards full regional economic integration.
Bilawal termed the collective security of the region a joint responsibility and said terrorism continued to threaten global security. He said Pakistan was firmly committed to being part of regional and global efforts for eradicating this menace that required a comprehensive and collective approach to address the root cause as well as the threats posed by specific groups.
He said poverty still plagued this region and mentioned that Pakistan was proud of the internationally acclaimed Benazir Income Support Program which ushered in a silent revolution of poverty alleviation together with women’s empowerment.
On Afghanistan, he called upon the international community to meaningfully engage with the Interim Afghan Government to better understand and influence the course of events, especially on girls’ right to education and security.
He called on the Interim Afghan authorities to uphold their commitment to not allowing the use of Afghan soil for terrorism.
He congratulated Iran, which would soon become the newest member of the SCO family and welcomed the accession of Bahrain, Kuwait, Maldives, Myanmar and the United Arab Emirates as new Dialogue Partners.
Bilawal said Pakistan remains committed to multilateralism and continues to play leading role at all international forums for forging friendly relations among nations and supporting the peaceful settlement of longstanding international disputes.
Source: Radio Pakistan