ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Kyrgyzstan on Monday for an official visit to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s (SCO) Council of Heads of State (CHS), his office said.
Founded in 2001, the SCO is a major trans-regional organization spanning South and Central Asia. Its permanent members are China, Russia, Pakistan, India, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. Together, they represent nearly half of the world’s population and around a quarter of global economic output.
The organization’s agenda of promoting peace and stability and strengthening cooperation in infrastructure, economic, trade and cultural spheres align closely with Pakistan’s own vision of enhancing regional connectivity, peace and stability.
Sharif’s three-day visit will include participation in the CHS meeting as well as bilateral engagements in the Kyrgyz Republic, accompanied by members of his cabinet and senior Pakistani officials, according to the PM Office.
“On his arrival in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan’s Cabinet Chairman Adylbek Kasymaliev received Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif.” the PM Office said in a statement.
Earlier, Pakistan’s foreign office said Sharif would also assume the chairmanship of the SCO Council of Heads of State (CHS) for 2026-27 during his visit to Kyrgyzstan.
Sharif will participate in the opening ceremony of the World Nomad Games on Aug. 31, it added. On Sept. 2, he will hold bilateral talks with President Sadyr Zhaparov on the full range of Pakistan-Kyrgyzstan relations.
“The two sides will comprehensively review Pakistan-Kyrgyzstan relations and discuss ways to further deepen bilateral cooperation, particularly in trade and investment, energy, regional connectivity, education, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges,” the foreign office said.
“The leaders will also exchange views on regional and international developments of mutual interest and cooperation at regional and multilateral fora.”
Pakistan and the Kyrgyz Republic enjoy close fraternal relations rooted in shared history, faith and cultural affinity, as well as common aspirations for peace, connectivity and prosperity across Central and South Asia.
Sharif’s visit will provide an important opportunity to build on the momentum generated by recent high-level exchanges, translate political goodwill into deeper practical cooperation, and further strengthen the enduring partnership between Pakistan and the Kyrgyz Republic, the foreign office said.
