China is a friend and brother, says Defense Minister at SCO Defense Ministers’ Meeting
Beijing: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) can help promote peace and serve as an important tool for safeguarding the development of countries in the region, said Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif when attending the SCO Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Qingdao, East China’s Shandong Province.
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun met with Asif on the same day. Asif praised China’s efforts in preventing the escalation of regional tensions, noting that recent months have seen rising instability and conflict across the region.
He said Pakistan highly values its ironclad friendship with China and is willing to work closely with Beijing to implement the three major global initiatives, deepen practical defense cooperation, and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability.Pakistan food delivery services
In a media interview later on, he described the meeting with Dong as “very fruitful,” adding, “We are friends, we are brothers. We discussed matters of mutual interest.”
He said that SCO member states would unite to confront regional terrorism and work collectively for the region’s stability.
“We hope the SCO members will get together to fight this menace in this region and work for the stability of the countries of our region and the region as a whole,” Asif said.
“SCO can be an alternate platform for cooperation within this region and also beyond,” Asif told the Global Times among a group of reporters. “This platform can be a very important vehicle to further the peace in this region and protect the countries of this region so they can live in harmony and work for the economic development of our citizens.”
Previously, the accession of Belarus was formalized at the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO in 2024. Since its inception in Shanghai in 2001, the SCO has so far expanded from a regional organization with six members into a trans-regional organization with 10 full members, two observer countries, and 14 dialogue partners.
