INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Khawaja Asif to attend SCO FMs meeting, hold bilateral discussionsBEIJING: Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad
Asif will arrive here on Sunday to attend the meeting of Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and
hold a bilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.The SCO Council of Foreign Ministers, to be chaired by Chinese Foreign
Minister Wang Yi will exchange views on cooperation in various fields among the member-states and on major regional and international
issues.At the invitation of State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif of Pakistan, Minister of
External Affairs Sushma Swaraj of India, Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov of Kazakhstan, Foreign Minister Erlan Abdyldayev of
Kyrgyzstan, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of Russia, Foreign Minister Sirodjidin Aslov of Tajikistan, Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov of
Uzbekistan, Secretary-General of the SCO Rashid Alimov and Director of the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure
Yevgeniy Sysoyev will attend the meeting, according to a top Chinese diplomat here.Maintaining the security and stability of the region and
promoting the common development and prosperity of member states are the purposes of the SCO.Since its establishment, the SCO has always put
vigorously promote the "Shanghai spirit", consolidate good neighbourliness and friendship, solidarity and mutual trust, gather more
will be the first one after the enlargement of SCO which is meant to lay a ground work for the SCO Qingdao Summit in June.During the
meeting, the Chinese leadership will have a group meeting with the heads of the delegations.Foreign Minister Wang Yi will witness signing of
the outcome documents while a press released based on consensus of the meeting will be issued.The SCO summit will be held in Qingdao, a port
summit.President, Mamnoon Hussain is likely to lead the delegation from Pakistan during the summit.Pakistan became a full member of the SCO
in June last year and has been playing active role in the organization which was founded at a Summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents
of Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.The SCO comprises eight member states - China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan,
Russia, Tajikistan, India, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.The SCO has four members with observer states, including Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and
