Ankara: Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday issued a stern warning against those "seeking to undermine regional stability" during his address at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) foreign ministers' meeting in the Kyrgyz resort city of Cholpon-Ata.
According to Anadolu Agency, Dar emphasized the necessity for the organization to adapt to emerging challenges. He urged the SCO to promote digital inclusion, bridge the technology gap, ensure energy security, and advance financial integration to foster a resilient regional economy. The minister called for sustained dialogue and diplomacy to resolve outstanding issues, encouraging the international community to leverage the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding and ongoing technical negotiations to push for a permanent, peaceful, and durable settlement of conflicts.
Dar cautioned that actors seeking to disrupt regional stability would exploit opportunities to derail the peace process and reverse progress. He stressed the importance of cooperation to achieve long-term peace, stability, and prosperity for the region. The minister further stated that the SCO must deliver tangible benefits to its people, with a focus on connectivity, trade, agriculture, youth development, and strengthening people-to-people ties.
In a parallel address, India's Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, highlighted the growing global security challenges, including conflicts, food and energy uncertainties, supply chain disruptions, extreme weather, and uneven economic recovery, which have especially impacted the Global South. Singh advocated for reformed multilateralism and stronger cooperation among SCO members to tackle these issues. He also called for the promotion of an inclusive and multipolar international order based on respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and international law. Singh expressed India's support for various trade and transit projects and emphasized the importance of cooperation in emerging technologies such as digital innovation and artificial intelligence.