Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar departed on Thursday for Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyz Republic, to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) Meeting after concluding his visit to Manila, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said.

According to a statement issued by the ministry, FM Dar was invited by Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Zheenbek Kulubaev and would lead the Pakistani delegation at the SCO-CFM meeting scheduled for July 23-24.

The statement added that FM Dar would also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from SCO member states on the sidelines of the meeting.

“The FM expressed his appreciation and gratitude to the Philippine Government and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) team for the gracious hospitality accorded to him and his delegation during their visit to Manila,” it said.

The ministry further said that the foreign ministers of all SCO member states, including Pakistan, China, Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, would participate in the CFM meeting.

The CFM is the third-highest forum in the SCO format. It focuses on the issues of international relations, as well as the foreign and security policies of the SCO.

Earlier, Dar arrived in Manila, Philippines, to participate in the 33rd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) ministerial meeting, according to the Foreign Office.

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Dar also held a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov ahead of the ARF Ministerial Meeting and “reviewed Pakistan-Russia bilateral relations and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening cooperation in trade, energy, connectivity, and other key areas, as well as enhancing coordination at multilateral forums.”

Separately, Dar met Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Khalilur Rehman and reviewed the “positive trajectory” of their bilateral relationship and reaffirmed their shared commitment to further strengthening bilateral ties.