BEIJING: Minister for Interior, Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, who is in Beijing, China to attend the Interpol’s General Assembly, visited the headquarters of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) on Wednesday for a meeting with SCO Secretary General Rashid Alimov.
Welcoming the federal minister, the secretary general appreciated Pakistan’s membership of SCO and said that SCO’s expansion has given the organisation a new impetus and strength to work for the betterment of the region.
The minister thanked the secretary general for supporting Pakistan’s membership. He expressed Pakistan’s readiness to deepen all-round cooperation with the SCO member states in areas such as trade and connectivity, infrastructure development, security, culture and people-to-people ties.
He emphasised that with deep-rooted historical and cultural links as well as strong economic and strategic complementarities, Pakistan was poised to play a greater role in peace, security and development of the region.
He assured the secretary general of Pakistan’s support in the organisation’s endeavours.
Ahsan Iqbal is on an official five-day visit to China.
Public security departments and global experts are attending the four-day International Criminal Police Organisation’s (Interpol) General Assembly, with the theme “Connecting Police for a Safer World”.
The conference will tackle many issues, including organised crime.
The Interpol’s current president is Meng Hongwei, Chinese vice minister for public security, who was elected in November 2016 at the organisation’s 85th General Assembly in Bali, Indonesia. He is the first Chinese official to hold the post.
Based in Lyon, France, Interpol is the second largest international organisation after the United Nations with 190 members. China joined Interpol in 1984.