On Wednesday, Shehbaz Sharif received a phone call from King Charles inviting him to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) scheduled to be held in Samoa from 21st to 26th October 2024
The upcoming CHOGM summit this year will be the first for the Commonwealth nations to be hosted in Samoa under King Charles III who ascended the head of the Commonwealth position in September 2022. The summit is considered one of the major summits where members take the turn to hold global discussions once in two years on nth current calendar.
He expressed that this summit presents a defining moment in Commonwealth history. Accepting the invitation, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that this summit presents a defining moment in Commonwealth history. He reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to the Commonwealth and its charter, under cooperation efforts on critical issues — sustainable development, democratic governance, and youth empowerment within the Commonwealth.
“The CHOGM in Samoa will be a golden opportunity to take stock of the opportunities for enhanced collaboration within the Commonwealth, especially on pressing global issues,” Prime Minister Shehbaz highlighted that King Charles III has been involved in climate initiatives for many years and is eager to address climate change issues at the summit. Pakistan, unfortunately, ranks among the most vulnerable nations and experienced one of the most severe climate disasters in 2022.. Catastrophic floods due to climate change took the lives of 1,700 people, destroyed agricultural land, and are calculated to have caused an economic loss amounting to $30 billion
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also said that trade, energy, and security have already included the cementing relations that will be made with Russia in multiple fields. He said this during his meeting with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk in Islamabad on Thursday
The talks stressed cooperation in agriculture, business, education, and technology aspects ensured that both countries were keen on building tighter bilateral relations. PM Shehbaz expected a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin at the SCO while considering the strengthening of relations with Russia as one of the most prudent initiatives that Pakistan has introduced into its foreign policy.
A very visible manifestation of this developing relationship was seen when the two countries inked a MoU to further cooperation in key areas. On this, Overchuk stated that Russia supports Pakistan’s induction into the BRICS group consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
In this regard, President Asif Ali Zardari also met Overchuk separately and warmly welcomed him, making a case for increased connectivity between Pakistan and Russia in all dimensions, to enable direct flights and railways to facilitate economic and people-to-people exchanges. Overchuk highlighted Russia’s desire to collaborate with Pakistan on food security and education. He mentioned that a significant business delegation from Pakistan is set to visit Russia in October to explore additional opportunities for economic cooperation.
These developments indicate a revitalized commitment to enhancing Pakistan-Russia relations, suggesting that both countries stand to gain from a stronger economic and strategic partnership.
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