SCO meeting: Concers over Afghanistan’s current situation

Foreign Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries discussed issues related to Afghanistan during a series of talks on the situation in Afghanistan. Pakistan’s representative emphasized the necessity of a “comprehensive policy” in Afghanistan.

The SCO Foreign Ministers’ meetings took place on Monday and Tuesday, May 20 and 21 in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.

Pakistani media, citing Ishaq Dar, the country’s Foreign Minister who participated in the SCO meeting, reported that the “Contact Group for Afghanistan should be revitalized to devise practical cooperation” within the SCO framework. He stressed the need for what is referred to as “comprehensive policy in Afghanistan” and added that “all Afghan rights must be respected.”

Russian news agency TASS had reported before this meeting that SCO Foreign Ministers, during one of the sessions of this meeting, discussed “terrorist threats from Afghanistan” and also the smuggling of drugs from Afghanistan to other countries.

Although the Taliban officials deny the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister emphasized in the SCO meeting that the Taliban must “take concrete and effective measures so that Afghanistan soil is not used against any country.”

Russia, Iran, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization who attended the meeting on Monday and Tuesday.

Kazakhstan, the country hosting this meeting, also expressed concerns about Afghanistan’s vulnerability to climate change and found the current situation in Afghanistan alarming.

It is worth mentioning that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was founded in 1996 by leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan in the region.

Uzbekistan joined this organization shortly after, and it officially changed its name to the “Shanghai Cooperation Organization.” Afghanistan is an observer member of this organization.

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