President Mamnoon, Modi shake hands at SCO Summit

QINGDAO: President Mamnoon Hussain and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi exchanged pleasantries during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in the eastern Chinese city of Qingdao.

The two leaders were photographed shaking hands after a press conference by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Hussain and Modi are among leaders who attended the media briefing after the culmination of the 18th SCO summit.

Earlier, Jinping gave the leaders of Pakistan and India a “special welcome” to their first summit of the SCO, since their countries joined the group last year.

Founded in 2001, the SCO also includes the former Central Asian Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Hope for economic stability after general election: Mamnoon

President Mamnoon while addressing a SCO session on Sunday, remarked that he hopes that the upcoming general election would bring further economic stability in Pakistan.

He said that Pakistan has witnessed the valuable improvement in services and agricultural sector, adding that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has further strengthened Pakistan’s economy.

Speaking about relations with Afghanistan, he remarked: “Peace and stability in Afghanistan is our common objective and Pakistan is playing its due role in this regard.”

Pakistan and Afghanistan are working on a comprehensive strategy on a bilateral basis to establish peace in Afghanistan, he said, adding that ceasefire in Afghanistan is a positive sign for regional peace.

Mamnoon also felicitated the Chinese government and the people of China on the successful conduct of SCO Summit.