Pak Foreign Minister Dar meets Chinese President Xi; reaffirms commitment to strengthen bilateral ties

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday reaffirmed Islamabad's commitment to deepening its ''enduring friendship'' with China and advancing shared regional goals during a joint meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Dar was among the foreign ministers and heads of standing bodies of the 10-member Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) whom Xi met ahead of their meeting in the Chinese city of Tianjin.

In a post on X, Dar said he is ''delighted'' to meet Xi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing and ''conveyed the warm greetings of the leadership, government, and people of Pakistan''.

''As iron-clad brothers and All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partners, we remain committed to deepening Pak-China enduring friendship and advancing shared regional goals,'' Dar, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, said.

The SCO is a 10-nation Eurasian security and political grouping comprising 10 member states -- China, Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus. China currently holds the rotating presidency of the SCO.

The Chinese president welcomed the heads of delegations and underlined the ''salience of regional cooperation'' under the ambit of the SCO, the Foreign Office said in a post on X.

Shortly later, Dar arrived in Tianjin along with other foreign ministers to lead Pakistan's delegation to the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers' meeting, it said. Dar also met with the foreign ministers of various SCO member states on the sidelines of the joint call on Xi.

''Always good to exchange views for strengthening regional understanding and cooperation in such a challenging time,'' he posted on X.

Dar also held separate meetings with his counterparts from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Iran, Uzbekistan, and Belarus, focusing on enhancing cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)