Bishkek: While addressing a meeting at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan said that Pakistan is a potentially lucrative market with a vast variety of resources and is an ideal destination for investment, according to a news source.
He made these remarks at the 19th Meeting of the Council of the Heads of State SCO. He also stated that Pakistan’s population predominantly consists of youngsters full of potential, energy, and creativity. He added that Pakistan’s relationships with its partners are built on mutual respect, equal benefit, and sovereign equality.
After making some statements about the vast economic potential of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and revealing Pakistan’s encouraging progress on counter-terrorism, PM Khan presented an eight-point agenda conducive for international and regional stability.
Reinforce our vision of cooperation, that rejects confrontation, and advance the imperatives of peaceful co-existence at the regional and international levels.
Galvanise the “Shanghai Spirit” to strengthen SCO’s core mandate of mitigating the risks of conflict, fostering confidence, and promoting stability.
Finalise arrangements for trade in local currencies, and set up SCO Fund and SCO Development Bank to catalyse the trans-regional development agenda.
Synergise the various region-wide connectivity initiatives, and work on complementing infrastructure connectivity with soft connectivity, including digital, cultural, touristic, and academic. “I propose setting up SCO Culture & Tourism Corridors, clustering multiple SCO destinations into a single package,” he said.
Make SCO more relevant to the daily lives of citizens by promoting food security and enhancing cooperation in health and humanitarian sectors.
Take the lead role in establishing a comprehensive framework for combating corruption and white-collar crime.
Prioritise women and youth empowerment by focusing inter-alia on strengthening the Women Forum and the Youth Council and mandating them to promote gender mainstreaming, skills acquisition and jobs mobility.
Bridge the gap between region-specific research and policy by launching feasibilities for creating SCO Centres of Excellence on poverty alleviation, de-radicalisation, connectivity, and new technologies.
