Nawaz Sharif to lead Pakistan at SCO summit

Islamabad: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will lead the Pakistani delegation at the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Russia on July 9-10, officials said on Monday.

The prime minister will also hold important bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the SCO summit at Ufa, the foreign ministry said. Pakistan holds observer status in SCO and is seeking a full membership.

"As an observer state, Pakistan has been making substantive contribution to regional peace, security and development," Xinhua quoted the foreign ministry as saying.

At the invitation of the Russian president, Sharif will also attend the outreach meeting of the leaders of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries, SCO members and Turkmenistan.

Media reports say Sharif is likely to meet his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the summit.

SCO is an organisation founded in Shanghai in 2001. Its member states include China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.