On July 16, 2020, Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), in cooperation with the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies (IPDS, Pakistan), held a video seminar on Russia’s Presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Opening speeches were made by Andrey Kortunov, RIAC Director General, Farhat Asif, Founder President of the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies (IPDS, Pakistan), and Muhammad Asif Noor, Founder Director of the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies (IPDS, Pakistan). The meeting was moderated by Ksenia Kuzmina, RIAC Program Manager.
On July 16, 2020, Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), in cooperation with the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies (IPDS, Pakistan), held a video seminar on Russia’s Presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
Opening speeches were made by Andrey Kortunov, RIAC Director General, Farhat Asif, Founder President of the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies (IPDS, Pakistan), and Muhammad Asif Noor, Founder Director of the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies (IPDS, Pakistan). The meeting was moderated by Ksenia Kuzmina, RIAC Program Manager.
Speakers:
Mikhail Konarovsky, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation, Leading Research Fellow at the Institute of International Research, MGIMO University, RIAC Member
Muhammad Khan, Professor, Department of International Relations, International Islamic University, Islamabad
Zhao Huasheng, Professor of the Center for Russia and Central Asia Studies, Fudan University, Shanghai
Vasily Kashin, Leading Research Fellow at the RAS Institute of Far Eastern Studies, Head of the CCEIS Section of International Military-Political and Military-Economic Problems at the Higher School of Economics, RIAC Member
The participants discussed the priorities of Russia's chairmanship of the SCO and the opportunities they create for cooperation between Russia and Pakistan. The agenda also included topical issues of the consequences of the spread of COVID-19 for the SCO member countries. In addition, the experts paid special attention to regional security issues and the settlement of the situation in Afghanistan. The participants emphasized the special role of the SCO in the context of creating conditions for interaction between Pakistan and India, which affects the stability in the region. They also discussed the prospects for reforming the organization and strengthening coordination among the SCO member states for the implementation of a joint security and sustainable development policy.
