Bishkek (GNP): Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar held a series of bilateral and multilateral engagements on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of State meeting in Bishkek, reflecting Pakistan’s active diplomatic outreach across the region during the summit.
Dar opened his round of meetings with a pull-aside session with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, held as Pakistan and Armenia mark the first anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The two ministers reaffirmed their commitment to building on the positive momentum in bilateral ties and exchanged views on regional and international developments of mutual interest.
Dar followed this with a meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, during which both sides reaffirmed the strong bonds of friendship and brotherhood between Pakistan and Azerbaijan and expressed their commitment to further strengthening the bilateral partnership, alongside an exchange of views on regional and international developments.
Dar also met İbrahim Kalın, Director of Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT), where the two sides exchanged views on regional developments, including the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement and the inaugural meeting of its Strategic Political and Defence Committee.
Dar underscored the importance of continued coordination and diplomatic engagement for regional peace, security and stability, a theme that carried through his subsequent multilateral interactions, including a warm and cordial exchange ahead of the summit’s main session with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin and Kazakh Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev, followed by a separate interaction on the margins of the summit with Lavrov and Muhriddin.
Among his engagements with major powers, Dar met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in a warm and cordial exchange that reaffirmed the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership between Pakistan and China, with discussions extending to the 2026 United Nations General Assembly session in New York and the ongoing process for electing the next United Nations Secretary-General.
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He also met Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov, where both sides reaffirmed the close and growing Pakistan-Uzbekistan partnership and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation across all areas of mutual interest.
Dar held a separate bilateral meeting with Araghchi ahead of the summit, where the two foreign ministers discussed bilateral relations and regional developments and reaffirmed the importance of continued engagement. He stressed that dialogue and diplomacy remain essential to regional peace and stability, and that sincere implementation by both parties to the conflict of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding of June 2026 remains the only way forward.
Rounding out his schedule, Dar met Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov to discuss bilateral relations and regional developments and exchange views on matters of mutual interest, capping a day of engagement that underscored Pakistan’s effort to use the SCO platform for sustained diplomatic outreach across Eurasia.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar had a pull-aside interaction with Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of State meeting in Bishkek, where the two sides exchanged views on bilateral relations and regional developments of mutual interest, reaffirming the close and brotherly ties between Pakistan and Tajikistan.
Mohammad Ishaq Dar said, “Sincere implementation by both parties to the conflict of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding remains the only way forward.”
Mohammad Ishaq Dar said, “Continued coordination and diplomatic engagement remain important for regional peace, security and stability.”
Managing Editor at Global News Pakistan (GNP), with a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from Riphah International University, graduated with a Gold Medal. Reach out at sabahtareengnp@gmail.com
