Pak highlights its credentials to secure full member status on SCO

Shanghai, June 16 (UNI) Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has underscored his country's credentials for securing full membership on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and said the country is most suitably positioned to contribute to realising the SCO objectives.

Strongly pleading Pakistan's genuine desire to associate itself with the SCO, the President referred to Islamabad's importance in geo-political, geo-strategic and geo-economic terms, for playing an effective role as per its charter, APP said.

Pakistan along with India, Iran and Mongolia has observer status on the six-nation grouping which has China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as its full members.

While hoping examination of Pakistan's case for full membership positively, the President suggested firming up more substantive participation of observer states in the SCO processes. "Pakistan provides the natural link between the SCO states to connect the Eurasian heartland with the Arabian sea and South Asia,'' he said.

''We offer the critical overland routes and connectivity for mutually beneficial trade and energy transactions intra-regionally and inter-regionally,'' he pointed out.

While expressing feelings of friendship with the SCO's member countries, President Musharraf also spoke about the existing deep-rooted Sino-Pak friendship, stating ''We greatly values and cherishe this long relationship.'' The Pakistan President also held meetings with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the margins of the summit.

President Musharraf told his Afghani counterpart that both countries were facing the same problem and had the same enemy in the shape of terrorism and reiterated his stand to intensify cooperation-on a number of forums.

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