On 4 May 2023, SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming had a meeting with Minister of External Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on the sidelines of the SCO Foreign Ministers Council Meeting.
The sides exchanged opinions regarding the involvement of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in implementing the agenda of the Organisation, the regional situation and SCO modernisation options.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari noted that Pakistan was firmly committed to honouring the principles of the SCO Charter, actively promoting the principles of the Shanghai Spirit and devoting special attention to active cooperation with the SCO for the sake of the SCO region’s prosperity and development.
The SCO Secretary-General praised Pakistan’s contribution of to the SCO’s development and thanked the Minister for supporting the work of the SCO Secretariat. He emphasised the need to continue strengthening cohesion and elevating cooperation to an even higher level in line with the main SCO principles that have proven their viability in practice.
In the context of efforts to streamline the SCO, he expressed hope that Pakistan would play an even more active role in strengthening practical interaction.